....and this is why I moved here.

I must admit, as cool as things have been of late I've been struggling to motivate to get on the blog. As much as I enjoy the mundane, I've just felt like there hasn't been much outside of work and moving that's been "newsworthy." And frankly, I'm not sure how interested I would be in reading about another person's encounters with things like botched furniture deliveries, used DVD players with adult films left behind by the previous owner, or the new variation on a classic card game my friends and I created last Wednesday. I guess that's why people use things like Twitter, and I guess I see the blog as a way to provide a little more context.

But this past Friday night I was out with friends celebrating the engagement of two friends--Alpha Tango and Mike Hotel. Before I get on with last Friday, a shout out/mazel tov from yours truly to Alpha and Mike on the engagement!

(Side note: Alpha has been a friend since kindergarten and we've hung out a bunch since my return--playing lots of golf, checking out a few concerts, and general dude-hanging-out kind of stuff. He reads the blog and is the #1 karaoke performer I know. He belted out Sister Christian last Friday which conjured memories of this classic performance. Just forward ahead to 2:00 to see what I'm talking about.)

So anyhow, a bunch of friends were out celebrating the big event, and I ran in to two friends (Sierra and Mike Delta) who were living out in San Fran and mentioned they actually enjoyed the blog. And maybe it was the kick in the pants I needed to get back on here.

Now that we've got that out of the way, the title of today's entry is "...and this is why I moved here." This is a phrase I've continued to hear between my ears as I've had a fun few days since moving in last Saturday. Maybe it was all of the thanksgiving spirit, but I really have a lot to be thankful for this year and this week I found myself really appreciating the good fortune I've had this past year. I'm not saying life is perfect, but I've had a little bit of luck, a lot of support, and a little bit of kismet that have made this move work out pretty well.

Some funny/cool moments over the past few weeks:

-Watching Bears games. This sounds very mundane, and I know the Bears absolutely suck, but living in another city makes you really miss your sports teams. And its not just the teams you miss, its the chit-chat with buddies (or family) about the reasons for the suckitude that only a bear fan can appreciate.

-Spending thanksgiving with my family. We had a little bit of a hiccup with the T-giving schedule and ended up having our dinner on Friday instead of Thursday. But everyone was around (my brother and sister live outside of Chicago) and we had a lot of fun catching up, playing BINGO, and getting our fill of all that food. I cooked (on the BBQ) and carved my first turkey, which I have to say is highly overrated. Its really not that difficult to cook, and it always seemed like such a chore/task.....but I figured since a few million people cook turkeys safely every year I could do the same. I'd have 100% confidence in my ability to do it again and I think the bird was pretty good. I also think we might want to consider moving Thanksgiving to the fourth Friday of November (screw black friday), but I'll wait 'til I'm in elected office to campaign for the Friday Thanksgiving.

-Having the family over to my new place. Saturday morning, my folks, sisters, and the little ones took the train to the city to see the new digs and have some lunch. It really wasn't anything special, but it was a pretty cool feeling to have my family visit my house and not need them to get on a plane to do so. They all enjoyed seeing the new place, and can rest assured knowing Annie and I live in a building that has all sorts of cool things.

-Watching Annie play in a Chicago city park. Yesterday afternoon, Annie and I had a playdate with some friends and dogs at Humbolt Park that was fun for me and equally as fun for Annie. This move probably hasn't been easy on her, but she's handled it like a trooper and it felt nice to give her something to enjoy amidst the chaos. My neighborhood has some greenspace, but it was fun to watch her roll around in some dirt with some other dogs without all of the noise and congestion that comes with my neighborhood.

-Seeing close friends on a regular basis. When I lived in Seattle I certainly stayed in touch with my friends via email/text, and whenever we had time to catch up during my visits we'd get together. But those conversations were always too short, and with most of my friends less than 10 minutes from my place it really feels like home once again.


Before I sign off I have a homeroom announcement:

First, the Rory David Deutsch foundation is a cause very near and dear to ADW follower and close friend Roger Daltrey. On December 10, Jackson Browne will perform a benefit concert at the North Shore Center for Performing Arts. If you're interested in good causes, good music, or a good time you're bound to have fun. You can purchase tickets on the website via the link provided. I'm sure you'll get to hear things like "runnin' on empty" and "doctor my eyes" but no guarantees on setlists!


Finally, I'll do my best to post something up here once a week so you'll get a somewhat consistent ADW fix....I'm not entirely sure what I'll be writing about but, I'll do my best to make it worth your while to check the blog during your downtime at work.

Making Chicago Home

Although I've been in the Chicago area for about six months, I've had this feeling that I still hadn't settled in. I realize there are no finish lines in life, but moving in to my own place feels like a bit of a finish line to the journey I've been on over the past six months. My sister (and her kids) have made my return to Chicago fun and easy as possible, by giving me a great place for Annie and I to stay while I looked for work. So after I made it to Chicago and found work, I turned my focus towards the next step on the Chicago journey: establishing a home of my own.

I knew I needed a few paychecks to cover rent and some furnishings (I sold everything I owned when I left Seattle) and targeted December 1 of this year for a date to move in. And although I know the city pretty well, I called in the help of an apartment finder to sort through the rentals and steer me in the direction of places that would fit with my lifestyle. I can't believe I never used an apartment finder for previous searches, but it made a world of difference having someone's help.

So Echo Victor (the apartment finder) and I set out this past Saturday to find a place for Annie and I to call home. As I mentioned to Echo, I really don't do the whole "shopping" thing very well and am the kind of guy who doesn't spend time shopping for things--regardless of cost or importance. My main criteria for the apartment were proximity to the expressways (since I drive so much for work), and a dog-friendly building. I gave her a few other cost parameters, and we were off.

We looked at a few places that seemed "OK", but were located over near Millenium Park/Navy Pier and although one of the places was nice I had a feeling I'd go nuts with the traffic coming in and out of that area for events. So we headed to my old neighborhood, which for those who don't know was just west of the loop. I had some initial reservations about being back in the same neighborhood, but after seeing the place I was sold.

The place is in a high-rise building that was completed about a year ago, and my apartment has only been lived in for three months of that year. The building has a ton of amenities which is a little different from my past apartments, but something I can definitely get used to. And there's even a dog park in front of the building where Annie can run off leash. Tons of other cool stuff, but you can read apartment listings elsewhere on the internet.

As I mentioned earlier, I sold just about everything I owned when I left Seattle (other than clothing, my car, and Annie) so my focus today turned to things like furniture to fill up the apartment. Furniture shopping is another one of those things I don't love spending my time to do, so much like the apartment search it took me about 30 minutes to find a couch and table to deck out the new living room. The only challenge I had was deciding the delivery date for the furniture (and ultimately my move in date), but I settled on November 21 as my first day in a 606XX zip code.