Great Weekend=Cubs Lose, Wolverines Win (barely), and City Wins.

Oh, where do you start with such an awesome weekend?

Well, JJ and Scott got to town late Friday morning.  And pretty much as soon as they arrived, we took off for Wrigley.  Nico was at school, so he didnt come with us to the game (A fact that he reminded me of later when he was looking at pictures on my phone.  He said, "Oh, I don't think I remember that day at the Cubs game..."  Yeah, because we didn't take him!! Yikes!  How is it that he is four and is already mastering the guilt trip??)

When the game was almost over, Dave split to go get Nico from school and get our pizza and I was in charge of navigating us back to the house.  In doing so, I accidentally navigated us onto the purple line train to Linden.  It was express, so we had to ride all the way out to Howard before we could get off.  Yikes!!  

Friday night, we hung out at the house, which was fun.  Nico and I showed JJ our new game called Two Square (hint: its just like four square).  JJ played lots of games with Nico and is generally well-liked by Le Beast.  So much so that when he came down stairs on Friday morning, Nico took a flying leap off the 4th step at JJ (who caught him).  No big deal.  

Saturday morning, Dave and Nico headed to swimming lessons at the YMCA and Uncle Scott, JJ, and I hung out at the house watching football and soccer.  I made us some delicious burgers for lunch and when Nico and Dave got back, I put Nico down for a nap.  After, JJ and Dave headed to a birthday party at an indoor waterpark/splash place.  While there, Dave networked with grownups and may have even got a lead on a adjuncting job at NEIU, which, coincidentally enough, is one of TWO universities in our back yard.  Not like, Gary, IN is in Chicago's back yard.  But like in the Albany Park/North Park/Peterson Park neighborhood of Chicago.  Isn't that sweet?

When they got back from the party, Nico helped me make some egg fondue.  

Normally, this is a Christmas only kind of dish, but thought it would be great to have for breakfast on Sunday, since it didnt require anyone standing over a stove on Sunday morning.  This was really important for me because of the Manchester Derby.  A day when the two teams in Manchester play each other.  It was made even better this year, because it's early in the season and they were tied for 5th place.  A win for either team would help that team immensely in the standings.  

My team (Manchester City) is sometimes sketchy in the back.  I love them, but seriously, they lost to Cardiff a couple of weeks ago.  Losing to Cardiff is like Wakulla losing to Godby (no offense).  But seriously, they have one-two strong players... there is no reason Wakulla should lose such a game.  United (JJ's team), on the other hand, is usually so class.  So imagine my surprise when this happened:

Yeah, it was pretty awesome. That said, there is still plenty of time in the season for City to screw this up.  :)

  

Gobble

I know it's impossible, for our weekends to get any funner... but hold on party people.  Uncle JJ and Uncle Scott are coming to town this weekend.  I know, seriously,, right?   I was able to get Cubs tickets on Craigslist a couple of weeks ago.  I got 4 tickets, thinking that if neither made it, we'd only have to eat the cost of one ticket.  It means that Nico won't go to the game and we'll just pick him up from school after.  Does that make me a bad mom? 

The good news is that he really, really, really likes his new school.  When school started, he lost his best friend, a little girl named Addison because she went up to the kindergarten- so he only sees her in the afternoon. I am sure that they were probably pretty annoying... their thing was that they would call each other animal names... like Alligator Chicken.  Or Chicken Dinosaur. His new little friend is a girl named Zoey, who he really likes.  In fact, last week he said that he loves her.  Which is absolutely darling.  They have a funny game they play called "Gaga".  Which is basically just them dancing with their hands up and shifting their weight back and forth on one foot to the other.  It's pretty hilarious.  

Le Nico was invited to a birthday party this weekend, so I hope Uncle Scott and Uncle JJ are okay with that.  It's at a water park, I guess.  So, that will be fun.  Dave is looking forward to being around adults.  Turns out when you work from home, it can be a bit lonely.  Apparently, the dogs aren't much company.  

Nico and Dave went to the YMCA after school, so it was late when we started dinner.  Dave told Nico to finish up his blueberries to which Nico replied that "he would gobble them".  This apparently means to stuff blueberries into one's mouth.     Which is weird, because I dont use the word gobble.  What is even stranger is that he seemed to have the idea that gobbling also meant holding one's hands up to one's face while stuffing blueberries into one's mouth.  It's pretty funny.  

Still a bit undecided about what we are going to do about school next year.  I spoke to one of the faculty members at DePaul who has a daughter who is three.  She sort of gave me the run down on schools.  I had been thinking about the possibility that if we got him tested for selective enrollment schools, that if he managed to make the cut that he might end up in a school trying to do work that is beyond him because he willl be so young.  This faculty member said I ought not to worry about that and that the real reason to get him into a selective enrollment school is beause those schools tend to be much better... with parents who are much more involved.  She also gave me the breakdown on some of the better, more diverse schools.  I haven't had the chance to talk with Dave about what our priorities should be... whether we'd rather have a selective enrollment school or a diverse school.  While they might not be mutually exclusive, I'd rather not have to choose.  There is still plenty of time to worry about this, I guess.  

Sorry I'm Not Sorry

We had some fun adventures this weekend.  Friday night we had our traditional Lou Malnatis.  And it was amazing.

Saturday I shot photos at the competition that my CrossFit box put on.  Half of the competition was outside, so I was able to use my big lens and get some great photos.  One of the really great things about shooting so often (in low-light) I am getting really acquainted with my DSLR camera.  Also, for some reason, I felt the need to buy a nice(r) 50mm lens last year with a really low fstop capability.  I can't remember why I bought it... but turns out it has saved me shooting at CrossFit... since it's in a warehouse type space with relatively low light.  That bad boy don't care about low light!!

There was a pretty sweet lens that I saw the other day on the internet that I wouldn't mind having.  It basically takes the things I love about my big lens and combines them with the things I like about my little lens.  And costs only 12,000 pounds (as in british sterling pounds).  Can you imagine over $20,000 for something to fit in the palm of your hand?  WOW.  

I have been getting a lot of really positive feedback on the photos.  Only one person has had anything negative to say...to be fair, I had experimented a bit with a particular effect, so it's fair if he didn't like it. It was of him finishing a box jump and I put it more up to brag that I got the shot... seriously, in low light?  Everything exposed right and motion frozen?  Yeah, Imma brag about that.  Sorry I'm not sorry for bragging.  I think I still make some of the girls uncomfortable when I shoot.  Hell, I might make some of the guys uncomfortable, but none of them had ever said anything or appear to actually be avoiding the camera.  Side note: "Sorry I'm not sorry" is one of my new favorite things to say.  It's the ultimate way to acknowledge that maybe you should be sorry, but you aren't.  

After Nico's swim team practice and my shooting Saturday morning, we tried to take a nap at home.  But failed.  Saturday afternoon, Dave and I made the mistake of watching some show on the travel channel about food+travel.  Turns out that the travel channel has completely given up on actual travel shows and are just doing food shows.  We watched a piece about steak sandwiches in Philladelphia (as in Geno's and Pat's).  Well, next thing you know, we were at Dominicks getting stuff for steak sandwiches.  I got a snicker's bar and a green apple to make a snickers apple salad.  I asked Nico if he wanted some, to which he replied NO when he heard the word salad.  Turns out that he actually likes Snickers Apple Salad... weird.  It's almost like he likes being contrary.  For the sake of being contrary.  

As you can see, the weekends are a bit hard for Drake:

Sunday, we explored Skokie a bit.  Dave liked the Skokie Farmer's market on Facebook and was reminded that there were only a few more weekends of the market before winter.  So we rode up there  (in the rain) and ended up having breakfast at Annie's pancake house before trying the market.  Here is Nico checking his email and having "coffee":

We ended up with a bunch of fruit (peaches, blackberries, apples, etc).  We had a short workout at the YMCA and then headed home for a nap.  After nap, Dave went to get groceries.  He found a grocery that he really likes, called Mariano's.  They have a massive prepared food section, which is THE thing he likes about Whole Foods.  But Whole Foods is expensive for the stuff that you aren't buying because it's organic.  Like paper towels.  And canned beans.  Apparently, Marianos walks that line pretty well.  

While he was at the store, Nico and I hung out at the house drawing maps.  That is kind of his thing lately, drawing maps.  A couple of weeks ago, I found a watercolor tablet at Target for super cheap, and he really likes drawing on these (I think because the paper doesn't get as bent up as regular paper).  This week and next, hopefully, we'll be sending out a bunch of maps to Granny You and Grampy and Grandma and Grandpa.  We might even sneak one down to Max, Becks, and Emme.

Opportunity Knocks

So, in other exciting news, I have been offered a course for the winter quarter at DePaul.  I know, right?  Just when I think I am out, they pull me back in!!

Turns out that the senior research methodologist in the SSRC has taught classes in statistics and methods, prior to my arrival, so the teaching coordinator asked if I would be interested.  While I have never taught a statistics class, I have taught methods.  And I have had some pretty damn good training  in the art of teaching.  And also, I have won two teaching awards.  So it's not really like this:

Of course, I am not sure how much of this the coordinator knew when she asked me to teach an undergraduate statistics course.  It's probably a bit uncommon, for someone who is a good teacher to not move automatically and fully into the teaching track.  If I wasn't in Chicago at DePaul, I would probably be at a teaching college, with my four courses a semester and no research activity.  

The conversation I had with the coordinator was a great conversation and she said that she would send me the course list so that I might consider teaching some of the "fun" classes in demography and health.  Yeah.  How much fun will that be?

This development is actually quite fortuidous...Dave and I watched a thing on Sunday Morning a couple of weeks ago about the Khan Academy that has made me rethink how I would revamp my teaching style, if it ever came to that.  

That said, I believe that I will make every effort to incorporate memes in this class, as well as pop culture references to Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and Keeping up with the Kardashians.  For example, here is a question that I might ask on a midterm:

"Following the beginning of the zombie apocalypse, a CDC researcher is interested in how many people are infected ("turned") each day.  She has been collecting this data for a year, but decides to draw a random sample of 30, for which she obtained a sample mean of 34.1 infections per day, with a sample standard deviation of 0.4."

Question 1: Calculate the standard error of the mean.

Question 2: Construct a 95% confidence interval to estimate the mean number of infections.

Question 3: Write a narrative explanation of this confidence interval.  

And so on... couldn't it be very fun??

I think so.  

In addition to that new opportunity... I was chatting with one of the other girls at CrossFit this afternoon and she mentioned that she (and another girl in our class) do Roller Derby.  Apparently this particular establishment is pretty good.  And they invited me to come to their tryouts!!  Can you believe it?  My mother's dream come true!  When I pointed out that I don't "skate" they replied this as not as big of a problem as you would think.  Apparently, being an athlete is a solid enough foundation... then after that, it's just learning how to skate.  Normally, I would be all over this.  But I decided to show some restraint and not jump with both feet.  But it was cool that they invited me.  And in case you were wondering, yes, I have thought about what my name would be.  

Guns McGee.  

Of course this only works if you have actual guns (i.e. well-developed biceps).  Otherwise, its just sad.  So we will revisit this issue in the nearish future.   

So Grown...

So, I mentioned that Dave and I have found a pizza place in Chicago.  This is actually kind of a feat, since we haven't been here very long.  And when you're talking about Chicago pizza, everyone and their mom has an opinion.  

Lou Malnati's is a Chicago institution....Accordng to Wikipedia (so take this with a grain of salt),  Lou and his wife co-managed Pizzeria Uno in the 1950s, after Lou and his Dad Rudy began making deep dish pizza inn the 1940s.  The first resturant opened in Lincolnwood in 1971 (Lincolnwood is the first 'town' heading north out of Chicago towards Evanston.  We happen to go to the Lincolnwood Resturant, but I don't know if it is the original.  

It's just plain delicious... the crust is sort of biscuity... and the sauce is zesty.  Everytime we get Lou's, Dave and I engage in at least a five minute conversation about what makes it so awesome... of course, we get the butter crust, so maybe that is the key (although Dave contends it is the sauce).  Regardless, it's a friday night tradition I really like.  So much so, I will cut back on snacking throughout the day, make sure I get my bike rides, and my CrossFit workout just to make sure I can really enjoy it (without the guilt of eating pizza in the middle of Mission: lose last of Nico baby weight before trying for numero dos baby).  

Saturday morning, Nico had the first lesson of this new round of swim lessons.  We had a pretty funny miscommunication about them.  I didn't go to his last class and figured that if he was ready to move up to the next class that his teacher would have said something to that effect.  So I sent Dave to the Y with the expressed mission to sign him up for Pike (AGAIN).  Dave, because he is a good husband, did this, even though he had gotten a note from his teacher saying that Nico was ready to move up.  Said note was posted on the fridge... I just didnt notice it.  He contends that I must have had a good reason for keeping Nico in this class, evven though his teacher says he is clearly ready to move up.  Which is all kind of hilarious.  

Saturday night Nico and I went to Target to get a few things.  He's fairly aware that he might get a baby sister or a baby brother someday, and has started keeping track of all the toys he wants to get her.  He says her, because he thinks he is getting a baby sister and that he can call it.  Which is precious.  I have also figured out the trick with the toys, which is that we take a look at the toy section to see what kinds of toys we want to add to his Christmas list (it was his birthday list, but now the big holiday is Christmas).  This helps me get him out of the store without a MEGAMELTDOWN.  

Sunday, we took Nico on a bike ride up to Indian Boundary park, which is abot 2.5 miles away from the house.  The park has this massive wooden castle structure play thing that Nico loves.  

Afterwards, we stopped at Emerald Isle (a pub) on the way home for lunch.  He has entered the age of wanting to play arcade games.  He is also starting to figure out how to work the system.  For example, there was a dart game that he wanted to try.  Not knowing how to play it (and moreover, not having any darts), I explained that I wasn't sure how to play and that was the reason I didnt want him to play it.  He explained that he wanted to learn so that when he was a grown-up, he would know how to play. Who can resist such an argument?  

After nap, Nico and I headed out to get groceries.  He's getting so big and grown-up, I can barely believe it sometimes.  In fact, this weekend, he explained to Dave that he didnt need to go to school anymore, since he knew everything already.  

Lou Malnati's, the Polish Festival, and The Dog Beach

I feel like I write the same posts about every weekend.  We went here and did this awesome stuff... then we went there and did some more awesome stuff.  Do you guys ever get bored with that?? I don't.  :)

Friday night started out eventful. I mistimed my trip home from work on the bike and ended up riding through a rain/thunder/hail storm. Which was kind of funny.  At one point, I actually got blown off my bike by a gust of wind.  It was really kind of funny.  I felt a sense of solidarity with all the other bikers that got caught in the rain.  At one point I exchanged power fists in the air with another dude who was waiting to cross Lincoln Ave (that I was driving northwest on).  When I got home, I grabbed a quick shower and we headed out to what Dave and I have come to describe as "our pizza place": Lou Malnati's.  It's Chicago deep dish.  At it's best.  It has definitely become our go-to place for dinner late in the week when neither of us wants to cook.  

Saturday morning was kind of chill.  Dave and Nico went to the YMCA and I hung out at the house doing chores (boring).  After nap, we headed to Jefferson Park to the Taste of Polonia (Polish festival).  Complete with three bouncy houses, so you know Nico was in heaven.  Dave's former co-worker who is a Polish-American former Southside Chicago boy met us there, so we had a blast (even if I was a little cranky pants myself... which happens.  Sorry... it just does).  

Sunday, we headed to the YMCA in morning... where Dave and I got in pretty good workouts.  I have been doing CrossFit for four months now and I am completely jazzed about it.  I feel myself getting stronger.  Even though some of the olympic lifts continue to be hard, I feel strong.  My legs are getting more muscular... so much so that I am nervous to wash my favorite pair of jeans... afraid that they are going to be unwearable when they come out of the dryer.  You say I could just NOT dry them... to which I reply, "um gross... have you ever worn jeans that have been air dried?  yuck."  

So we finished Sunday at the Y with a swim... through a small miscommunication between Dave and myself, Nico is repeating the Beginning Pike class, when his Beginning Pike teacher says he's ready for Eel class.  this is actually okay, because the little friend he made in his first class is going to be class with him.  I also say that until Nicholas Michael is ready to put his face in the water without becoming Mr. Bargainy McBargain, that he'll be okay in the lower class.  

Monday we took the dogs to the Montrose dog beach, which was really fun.  They always have a blast whenever we go (its a dog beach on Lake Michigan).  

Seriously, what is not to love?  The water is cold and there are all kinds of dogs there.  In fact, at one point, I went to sit on our blanket but couldnt figure out how in the hell it had gotten covered in sand.  Turns out there were two dogs playing chase with each other and the little guy kept running onto our blanket.  He clearly did not care that he was invading our space.  Going to the dog beach ALWAYS wears the dogs out... but they seem to have so much fun when we go.