Fun Station Junior

I got home on Friday night, to rain.  Apparently, it had been raining all day.  We have started a new thing with Nico in the mornings, which is that if he goes into school without a big fuss, he gets a quarter in his "locker".  And if he wants, we can go to Fun Station junior and play arcade games.  While I was gone, this seemed to make a big difference in the mornings.

So we did that on Saturday night.  Nico and I went to Fun Station Junior and he had a good time.  I bought 10 bucks worth of tokens and he had a blast running around the bouncy house area and playing games.  He is getting better at Skee Ball... thank god, because he was pretty terrible at it the last time we did this.  

Sunday we took advantage of the break in shitty weather to go to the park.  We had a pretty good time practicing sliding down the pole and went to the autopart store and Costco.  Yesterday Nico helped me put new wipers on the Kia (which he calls Venus, after one of the fire trucks in Fireman Sam).  Speaking of which, I want to buy him some Fireman Sam underpants.  But they only seem to have the speedo kind (not the kind with the fly).  Any thoughts on these?  Does anyone think he would care?

This week, Dave went to Boston to try to work something out with his employer on what to do for a career going forward.  It seems like it was a pretty good meeting.  It looks like we might not be in the poor house the entire time we are there.  Last night the weather computer in Tallahassee went down and they werent able to land.  The flight was diverted to Mobile and he is spending the morning driving over.  Talk about a long travel day!!  

All for now.  

I heart chicago

So, a post from the windy city, eh?  I know, you guys are annoyed.  You're annoyed that I don't update the old blog-0 very often.  I am sorry... I really am... Maybe I will get it together.  How bad do you feel about Nico, like for serious.

In any case, it has been relatively uneventful here in Chicago.  I am staying in Pilsen, which is near the Lower West Side of Chicago.  I have started using Air BNB when I travel by myself, mostly because it gets me out of the same old same old hotels- like Best Westerns and Holiday Inns.  But Jessi, you could stay at nicer hotels, you say.  "Ain't nobody got money for that!!" With Air BNB, you can rent just a room or a couch or a futon, or you could rent the whole place.  Its cool because it hinges on my favorite thing about traveling, which is stepping into life in a place.  It's hard to get that in a hotel.  The place I am staying at is an artist loft.  The person who owns the place actually manages 3 other places on Air BNB... I had originally booked at another place, but she put me in this place because it is nicer.  The walls in the place are covered with art... It's not very good.  Can I say that?  I know, who died and made me an art critic?  As it turns out, I am an art snob.  It is what it is.  

Wikipedia says: In the late 19th century, At Pilsen was inhabited by Czech immigrants who named the district after Plzeň, the fourth largest city in what is now the Czech Republic. They replaced the Germans and Irish who had settled there first, in the mid-nineteenth century. The population also included smaller numbers of other ethnic groups from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, such as Slovaks, Slovenes, Croats and Austrians, as well as immigrants of Polish and Lithuanianheritage. Many of the immigrants worked in the stockyards and surrounding factories. Like many early 20th century American urban neighborhoods, however, Pilsen was home to both wealthy professionals and the working class, with the whole area knitted together based on the ethnicities, mostly of Slavic descent, who were not readily welcome in other areas of the city.  

Since the 1950s and 1960s, many of the old Europeans had died off or were pushed out of the neighborhood by Hispanics (mostly Mexicans) immigrating to the US and deciding to settle near Chicago.  In the last 10 years or so, it has been re-gentrifying, so hipster artists and bike afficianados have been moving in, displacing Hispanics.  As it is in big urban areas.  Today, Pilsen still has a strong Hispanic influence, as evidenced by the sheer number of bodegas and Mexican restaurants   You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a place selling tacos and margaritas.  Seriously, I tried.  There was a dead cat on the ground outside my place.  I picked it up and swung it.  I hit a mexican restaurant.  

If you know me, you know I am not really that big a fan of Mexican food. Mostly because I don't know what everything is... seriously, I know what a quesadlla is, as well as a taco and a burrito.  But I don't know what a chimichanga is or a sopapilla.  On Sunday when I got in, I didnt feel like traipsing all over the city looking for suitable edables.  So I popped into a bodega and got: rice, garbanzos, a can of salmon, a can of soup, some hot pockets, bread, margarine, and cookies.  On Tuesday when I started at my job-job (Monday I did training at the Loop Campus), a co-worker took me across the way to a grocery store, where I got the basics for this week (fruit, milk, cheese, bagels, etc).  So I have been eating mostly at home.  So not exciting.  

I have been experimenting with different methods of transporting myself.  On Monday, I took the 18 Bus to the Roosevelt Metro station, where I took the red line north to the Loop campus.  It was an easy ride and relatively relaxing.  Tuesday I took the 18 bus in the wrong direction, got the red line and panicked because I was packed into a subway car like cattle with 2654654 other people.  So I ended up on the purple line, taking it to Lincoln park.  Wednesday, I found that the 8 bus took me along Halstead, through Pilsen, West Loop, River West, Goose Island, Greek Town, Ranch Triangle, Sheffield Neighbors, and Lincoln Park to a stop about .25 miles away from campus.  The bus ride was easy and enjoyable, about 40 minutes long.

Its been cold here.  Dave told me that as long as we are going to be in Chicago, that I am never, ever, never allowed to complain about the cold weather.  So, I make the statement that it's cold, so that you can get some context for what its like.  Apparently, the winter has been relatively mild, so no one is complaining about the cold.  When I got in on Sunday, it wasnt too bad.  Tuesday, when I went to leave the loft, I slid on some ice and fell on my ass. Hard.  It was starting to snow and I was mesmerized the winter wonderland I was walking out into.  Coincidentally, the patch of ice that I slid on is still there.  And I now give it wide berth.

Everyone is bundled up against the cold weather, which actually suits me just fine.  Because I like being bundled up.  Despite the fact that I have 8 different pairs of gloves/mittens and hats, I managed to bring only two pair knit gloves and no hats.  Duh.... I think yesterday was the coldest weather I have ever been in... it was 11 degrees farenheit and with the wind, it felt like -8.  Again, I love it.  Especially if it means fewer days in June, July, and August that are oppressively hot.

Other than that, not much going on.  I miss my boys.  Nico isn't taking this terribly well... he has been a peach for Dave, but wants his mama snuggles.  Looking forward to getting home to my boys.  

Chicago, Chicago...

So, I think most of the people who read this thing are also friends with me on facebook.  So, it's official.  We are moving to Chicago!!  So excited.  I am dancing.  In my head.  Not really dancing.

So now begins the logistics of this.  My replacement can't take over day to day stuff at the College of Medicine until mid-April.  I am going to Chicago next week to get signed up with HR and start meeting people.  It's pretty cool.  I think I will go up again in late March, and with Nico and Dave joining me for the weekend, so that we can find a place to live.  Next week, I am supposed to ride the train to some of the suburbs and try to figure out a commuting situation I would be okay with.  Then, I will drive up in mid-April, leaving Nico and Dave.  Once there, I will try to find a school for Le Boy.  Dave has to stay in Tallahassee at least through the session.  I think I will end up flying home the week before Memorial Day and helping to pack up the house and the moving truck.  And the dogs.  Then we drive up to Chicago over Memorial Day weekend.  I think it might end up where one of us is driving the moving truck and the other is driving the 4-Runner with Nico in the back seat and the dogs in the back-back.  I don't know- I think its going to be kind of an adventure!!  Really looking forward to it.

Nico is getting big and funny.  He has started the campaign for a little brother or sister.  It is mostly in the context of when we leave someone's house that has kids that he plays with.  This weekend, I took Nico over to Dexter and Colleen's house to deliver some food.  Dexter used to go to school with Nico and has recently been diagnosed with autism (aspergers).  They didn't use to play well together, but they were great on Sunday.  When it was time to leave, Nico was melting down and I had to carry him out of there.  He was wailing that he wants a little brother or sister.  Then, two nights ago, he was telling Dave that he want's a brother or sister, and wondered if we could order one online.  Squeeeeeeeee.  So adorable.

Here are my boys counting.  I didnt get when they counted in French earlier.  This video makes it appear that Dave is teaching Nico only the languages of the former Axis Powers, which is not the case.

The Firefighter Routine

This is one of Nico's favorite things to do.  He is "sleeping" when I ring the alarm.  He wakes up, slides down the pole, and grabs his "ticket" (which tells where the fire is), then jumps in the fire truck and takes off.



I love it.
Not much happening around here.  I got a bunch of my friends together on facebook to have a garage/yard sale.  Someone invited someone else, who turns out to be REALLY bossy and she kind of took it over.  I guess that is okay, except that the sale ended up not being on the day I wanted, or the place I wanted.  But I guess I won't get my dander up about it.

This means that I am going through all Nico's clothes.  Even the new born stuff that I have been holding onto.  Right now, his old baby clothes take up half his closet.  So I am trying to only keep the things that have a lot of meaning (like the three sweaters that Granny You has made him- and all the UL shirts and onesies).  But I am really looking forward to getting rid of a LOT of stuff.

And Dave better watch himself- because I might get rid of some of his stuff too.:)