Missing my boys.

So this period that I am in Chicago is the longest that I have ever been apart from Nico.  It's so weird.  17 days.  As of today, it's ten more days till I see him in Tallahassee (for Mother's Day).

Luckily Grandma and Grandpa are in town this week, so I hope they are a good distraction for him.  I guess when you're getting to go to Chuck E. Cheese and to the park all the time, I bet it's not hard.

It's crazy how grown his face looks.. He's really losing the toddler/three year old look and is starting to look like a big kid.  It's been hard with him- I was hoping that he would be more interested in video chatting and talking on the phone, but he isn't.  I think he might be a little mad/annoyed at me.  I hope he isn't but, I would be pretty pissed too if I were him.  I am trying to send him postcards and care packages and notes and such.  But I don't think he "gets" it.  

My only hope is that he doesn't remember this month.  At all. I know, that in the end, he will have so much more opportunity than if we had stayed in Florida on all fronts: sports, academics, culture, etc.  I can rest assured that if he goes to do ODP when he is a sophomore or a junior in highschool, he will do so having a really good idea where he stands because he will have played with all those guys.  He has the chance to attend schools that rank in the top 50. IN THE COUNTRY.  He might have a choice of judo clubs to fight in.  I hope someday he realizes this... 

Getting there...

Well, I made it here safely.
I left Tallahassee on Tuesday April 23rd and rolled into Chicago on the afternoon of the 24th.  It was an easy drive, except for some hard rain I encountered leaving Louisville on Wednesday.  I brought the Kia, loaded down with clothes, toiletries  kitchen items and a few craft things.  I got them all unpacked and into the house by Wednesday night.

The house has two stories and a basement.  I moved all my clothes into one room upstairs and am sleeping in the other room (on an air mattress).  I didnt do much last week, except figure out how to get to work and where the closest grocery is.

On Saturday I drove to Plainfield to get a firetruck bed for Nico.  A tollbooth lady told me that I could pay with cash at my last tollbooth, I couldn't.  So, I can't wait to see the ticket or the fine I will get for that. Should be good times.  When I got back, I headed over to campus to video chat with the boys (since my internet at home isnt being installed until Thursday).  On my my way out of there, I swung by the fiber arts store I found in Lincoln Park on my last go.  I picked up some yarn for a hat for Nico (for Christmas). Saturday night, I went to Target to get a few food items.

I went to a benefit on Sunday for the Read/Write Library of Chicago.  One of my friends/coworkers helped organize it.  I went and got to see another part of the city.  In all, things have been pretty good here.  I miss my boys like crazy.  Dave's parents are in town this week- so hopefully Nico won't notice how much he misses me.

My main source of transportation to work is the brown line from Kimball station to Fullerton.  There is apparently work going on on the brownline somewhere so transportation is a little wonky now.  But I asked a transit worker and he directed me in the right direction.  No big deal.

I have a life list item to run all the bridges in Chicago.  Today after work, I am going to give my first couple a try.  Should be fun.

I have a list a mile long of things I still need to do.  Then there are the things I want to do.  :)

All for now.  Will write more later.

Play him out Nico

Not much going on here... I have three days (counting today) left of work at the FSU COM.  So, I may not update again until next week.  Until then, I give you the musical stylings of Nicholas Michael Royse.

Springtime and the Cards

We had such a great weekend!!  First, Dave and Nico went to the downtown get-down on Friday night.  I was in a time-crunch to get a video done for Madi Harris.  JJ was meeting with a coach he knows and wanted to show him video.  So that was my big project last week.  In case you are interested in it, here it is:

I need to fix a couple of things.  But I really like how it came out.  I feel kind of jipped though.  Back when I had to do my highlight tape, it was with actual tapes.  And if you screwed anything up, it was so hard to fix.  this, the most trying thing for me was having enough time to go through all the video we have, looking for the best Madi video.  

Then, Saturday morning, we went to Springtime Tallahassee with Graham.  There were firetrucks.  I think you can imagine how that went.  

Nico and Graham really do get along well.  We stayed at the parade for basically the whole thing, because Nico and Graham were having such a great time.  Usually we're like, "There are no more firetrucks?  Alright! Peace!!"  So that was fun.  Seriously, shouldn't Nico be a model?  He is incrediably adorable.  I hope he doesn't get ugly when he gets older, I dont want people to see pictures of him at this really adorable time in his life and be like, "Dude, what happened?"

Sunday we did some chores and played soccer.  It's funny how soft my skin gets when I haven't played in a while.  One dive and two slides and I have scrapes on my forearm, my hip and my left knee.  But I hadn't played in 6 months.  So I guess that is fair.  

Saturday night, I gave all the soccer stuff to Nick.  It's so weird.  It filled up the back of a SUV.  Uniforms, balls, coolers, pinnies, cones.  It's crazy.  I am going down to the county tomorrow to give them all their charms.  The charms are a tradition I started with them the first season that I coached them.  The first season on the team, I give them a bracelet with their name, WHS Girls Soccer, and the record for the season.  Then in subsequent years, we add another charm for the record, and other soccer charms, and their number.  It's one of the things I am most proud of, that I have done for them.  I know, it's strange. But I love the tradition.  

The Cards won on Saturday night.  Dave's boss had gotten him two tickets for the Championship game in Atlanta for tonight.  Dave asked me if I wanted to go... which let's be real here, any sports fan would want to.  But It doesnt seem right, I've only been in the picture for 9.5 years.  His best friend Christian has been cheering for the Cards with Dave for at least 20 years.  So, they are going to the game tonight and Nico and I are going to hang out at the house.  He doesn't know this, but item #141 on my bucket list is helping get Dave to see the Cards play in a championship game.  So, that is nice.  

In good working order...

So I am officially a short-timer at FSU.  Less than two weeks.  When I started thinking about transitioning to DePaul, I was a bit cavalier with Dave and Nico.  I just figured that we would figure out a way to make it work.  The problem is... the legislature.  Seriously.  When I got the job at DePaul, we were in the drop dead period of just before the session, so Dave couldnt leave.  But DePaul wanted me there yesterday.  So, I just figured I would figure out a way to make it happen.  Dave and I have been apart before.  I went to Malawi.  I went to DC for an internship when I was 7 months pregnant.  Whatever.  I just didnt think it would be that hard on Nico.

Turns out- it is.  

The thing is, it might not be, if the session wasn't happening.  If Dave could sort of coast at work and go into overdrive at home, then it might be doable.  Its just really hard to be in overdrive at work and at home.  What that means is Nico gets pretty unhappy when I am gone.  And I am caught between that rock and the hard place... knowing that in the long run, the kinds of things Nico will be exposed to in Chicago will be far outweigh the shittiness of being away from me for 1.5 months.  But then I have to ask myself, "there is no harm in asking right?"

So long story short, I asked my new boss at DePaul if I could push my physical start date back by about 10 days.  He said yes, and that is great.  But I can't help but feel like I am on the verge of being fired.  From a job I just got.  Wouldn't that be unfortunate?  It gets us closer to when Dave's mom can come up... which is great... Nico likes hanging out with her.  But there is nothing like the feeling of about to be fired from a job you just got.  

Does this mean that I am going to stay on for another 10 days at the College of Medicine.  No.  I will not be doing that.  I hope to use the extra days to get packing.  And help out as much as I can with DePaul stuff here in Tallahassee.  Which is great, because I wasn't really sure how I would get stuff packed up on Friday April 12 and leave on Saturday April 13.  But I just assumed it would happen.   

Other than that... going through the list of stuff that has to be done before we can move. Yesterday was doing something about our bikes.  We have three.  That we never ride.  One has been sitting out in the yard for a year, the other two in the the shed.  So I asked a friend to get them in good shape for us.  Nico's new favorite thing is checking to make sure something is "in good working order."  So that is what we did after school yesterday.  He kept saying, "Mom, I am getting this bike in good working order."

It's pretty great.  Dave made it home last night before we were done with dinner, which means he got to read to Nico before shower time.

Easter 2013

So, like an idiot, when I made my transportation plans to and from Chicago, I didnt realize that I would be coming back Easter weekend.  Which is kind of annoying, since Easter is one of my favorite holidays.  Luckily, Dave took Nico to Premier on Saturday for an egg hunt (after the "Spring Bunny" made an appearance at his school on Friday- apparently Nico is pretty boss at finding eggs... which is a step up from where he was two years ago, where he was terrible at it.)

The Easter Bunny brought Nico some fire trucks and some candy.  Turns out one of the firetrucks was a collector's item.  Which is no longer in it's box.  Yikes.

I ordered a Chicago Fire Department Sweatshirt from CafePress before I left.  I had it sent to Chicago, thinking I would put it in a box with some candies and other stuff (a care package, if you will), but it didnt get to Chicago till my last day there, so I ended up just bringing it home... which the boy loved!!

Isn't Dave photo bombing Nico funny?

The House

So, we have a house.  In Chicago.

I am so excited about it.  It's actually a townhouse.  But it's an end unit.  And it has a basement.  And a fenced yard.  And two bathrooms.  And three bedrooms.  And plenty of storage.  We might even have room for activities.

Even cooler?  The place is about a 40 minute commute from my office... a bus for about 10 minutes and then the train for about 25 minutes.  It is completely fabulous.  Nico, Dave, and the dogs are going to love it.  

The place is a little bit older, but it looks like it has been taken care of... all the lights work and such.  Which can't be said for 1522 Atapha. #justsayin.  It has tile and hardwood floor throughout, except for the stairs going down to the basement.  But I suppose that is so that Grannies can't hide out in their rooms down there and scare kids as they walk down the stairs.  True story, Granny Bishop threatened to do that.  

Assuming that I don't get fired and or kicked out of the city, I think this is definitely a place that we could live for a while.  Dave and I are hoping that our next place will be a house that we buy.  A real fixer-upper.  Seems like it's about time.  In any case, I missed my boys like crazy last week.  I didnt get much done on a the writing-blogging-working out schedule.  I did manage, however, to watch all of Season 5 of Mad Men.  So, I have that going for me. 

Gamer?

Not much new to report.  Life is kinda boring right now.  I have been trying to establish some regular cleaning routines around the house.  Its tough because session is happening right now, so I am on my own with Nico a lot in the evenings... so I cant spend 2-3 hours when I get home cleaning and organizing, because who is going to make dinner?  Get Nico showered and in bed?

I read a book called, "Lean In".  It's by Sheryl Sandberg, who has been all over Facebook and social media promoting the book.  Her main argument is that women aren't striving to leadership positions in business and academia and the work place.  There are many reasons for this, but namely, work+life is too difficult for some women.   In any case, I was thinking that the book women really need is how to hack the house so that you dont have to spend a lot of time cleaning, cooking, etc.  That is the book that needs to be written.

Randomly, I am wondering if I am too old to start playing video games.  My favorite show.  Of. All. Time. Is. The Walking Dead.  Seriously.

The problem with this is that there are two episodes left this season.  And then it's not back until October.  And there is a Walking Dead video game.... wouldnt that be funny?  Especially if I became a "gamer"?  No? Oh well... there goes that idea.

Headed to Chicago next week.  Hopefully I can finalize a place for us to live.  Dave and I had originally talked about me going up for the week and him flying up with Nico for the weekend.  It ended up being really expensive for airfare and we're not entirely sure Nico would enjoy that kind of trip.  So I'm going solo. The trip will also be a little different because I am staying in Lincoln Park.  Seriously.  Literally, a mile away from my office.  Since 1.5 hours of every day won't be spent commuting to and fro, hopefully, I will be able to spend some more time exploring the area.  AND. FINDING. A. HOUSE.

Swimming with the manatees...

This weekend, we took Nico to swim with the manatees in Crystal River.  During the winter, when it gets "cold" in Florida, manatees like to go to King's Bay and Crystal River because the water stays "warm" pretty much year round.  So during the winter, when the gulf and the ocean are cold, they go to Crystal River to warm up.  And in the summer, they go back out to the gulf to cool off.

We rented a boat and were on the water by about 930 or 1000.  My mom came up from Ft. Myers to hang out with Nico (before the big move to Chicago).  We took the boat to the further of the places where we could see the manatees.  There are some pretty strict rules about what you can and can't do with the manatees.  But they have a special area near santuaries where you can snorkel.  Theoretically if you are there, the manatees can come right up to you.  But, you're not supposed to chase them and you are not supposed to harass them.  And if they go back into their sanctuary, you're supposed to let them go.  

Dave got into the water first, with the idea that I'd help Nico into the water and join them.  Well, the boy got on the ladder and decided, "um, no."  To be fair, the water was really cold.  I mean, I don't drink water that cold.  So, I helped Nico back into the boat and went to get in myself.  And for the first minute after I got in, I thought, "I have made a horrible mistake.  This water is too cold."  But then I warmed up and it was fine.  I understand why manatees were on the endangered species list.  They have no fear of humans. One came right up to the boat and stuck his face out of the water at Nico, which was awesome.  While we were in the water, they came right up to us.  In fact, one headbutted Dave in the chest.  I was mostly worried about being between a manatee that was trying to get back into the sanctuary and the little fence boundary thing that was up.  I didnt want the park ranger to get me (you get fined a crap ton of money for harassing a manatee- which would have been the exact opposite of what I was trying to do).  I also, legitimately, did not want to annoy a manatee.  Seriously, their life isn't hard enough as it is?  They gotta deal with me and my awkward swimming and inability to use a snorkel?  So, I was just trying to not annoy anyone (manatee, park ranger, fellow swimmer).  

So a manatee came up to me and I just put my hand on him, mostly to let him know I was there.  I didnt want to spook or startle him.  They have the coolest feeling skin... so, not smooth, but not rough.  It was cool.  Another came up a little while later and rolled over onto his back.  Like a dog.  And I rubbed his belly!! It was pretty much amazing.  

We went back to the boat to get the boy.  He decided that he was ready to go, so we swam him out to area where you could see the manatees (next to the sanctuary).  Now, if you have never had the pleasure of snorkeling with a three year old in cold water, let me tell you: it's every bit as awesome as you would expect it to be.  He kicked a flipper off, so we had to take them both off. His mask was weird.  His snorkel was weird.  He was cold.  You know the drill.  About half way there, we found some rocks to stand on, so that we could take a breath and get him situated.  It was also a great place to rest until manatees came back.  

One comes in right around the time that Nico is starting to be done with the whole expedition. He had had the chance to pet one, but wasn't really that impressed.  I think he was cold and over the whole thing.  We're in the water treading and Nico says LOUDLY, "I think I am standing on a rock!!"  He wasn't.  The manatee had gone done lower in the water and had come up, right under Nico.   My son was standing on a manatee.  My son was pretty much doing all the things that you are not supposed to do with a manatee.  Standing on a manatee, like he was at SeaWorld in a show.  It was awesome.  

Hopefully no one will read this and arrest my son (apparently it happens that people can get arrested for harassing manatees).  I guess I could do jail time for this.  I mean, if I can't do a stint in the big house for my son, who would I do time for?  My thoughts, exactly.  In any case, it was a lot of fun.  I'm glad that we did this with him.  I hope it becomes one of those memories for him where he doesn't know if it is because he has seen pictures of it or because he actually remembers it. In any case, manatees are so quintessentially Florida.  It seems fitting that now this Florida girl's days in Florida are numbered that we would finally get a chance to do this.  

Where in we have a hard time finding a house...

I had a temper tantrum yesterday.  Literally, a crying, throwing stuff temper tantrum.

It started on Saturday.  When I found a house in Forest Park.  Now, let me back up a minute.  We are exceptionally difficult people to find a house for.  In addition to requirements that we NOT live in Crackden, IL, USA, we need a place that will let us have dogs.  We also need a place with a yard, because I am not trying to walk dogs down 2390482390 flights of stairs at 2am, just so Gordon can sit there and look at me like I am an idiot.

We are also trying to find a place we can actually afford... and that has at LEAST 2 bedrooms.  I say at least 2 bedrooms, but what I mean is two bedrooms and a basement or three bedrooms.  Shockingly, this puts us eligible for about 5% percent of listings that I actually find.  Now, once you rule out all the places in Indiana and the far flung suburbs (seriously, I'm not driving  my happy ass an hour and change to work every day.  Nor am I going to sit my happy ass on a train for 4+ hours every day.  Aint gonna happen.  Aint no one got time for that.)  So this makes us eligible for about 1% of the places that I can actually find on the internets.  And then there was the place in Forest Park.

It is the second suburb west out of Chicago (next to my dream town of Oak Park).  It is a 3/2 with a finished basement. In our price range.  With a yard.  Walkable to the El.  I convinced a DePaul coworker to go by... he gives it the two thumbs up. We set an appointment for him to look at the inside of the house for Tuesday at noon.  And I get an email from the realtor at 1145 that the house is off the market because someone else rented it.  SON. OF. A-.

The most annoying thing?  Its not like I have been looking for a day.  I have been looking since mid-January. I have apps for this.  Today when my mechanic decided to open his shop up an hour and a half late (seriously, who does business like that?) I was on my phone.  Searching for properties. So, this is annoying.  We have a couple of feelers out there... some friends in the area who have leads on places, one in Arlington Heights and potentially Oak Park.

There are three places that are on our list now, one is in Evanston- small, with an unfinished basement... Evanston is cool because its kinda hipster and an easy ride on the train to my work... Northwestern is there.  Another in Norridge (an easy, short commute), which is a 3/2 with a finished basement, but Dave doesnt like Norridge.  And another in Hoffman Estates- which is verging on too far... but the house is CRAY.  It has more bathrooms than our house has rooms.  It looks like one of the victims of the bursting housing bubble... 2700 square feet.... HAY (which is short for Huge Ass Yard).  You think Jessi Bishop-Royse has a hard time keeping a 1500 square foot home clean?  Wait till she is dealing with a 2700 square foot home.  Seriously- I kind of want to have the house just so that during the holidays, JJ and I could play soccer in the living room and Max and Emme can play tackle football in the kitchen.

I am starting to rethink my strategy.  I wonder if I should just sit tight and wait till I get up there at the end of the month.  Then find a place I want, go there, start throwing money at them until they get me a key.  Probably a good idea.  Meh.

Jerk Squad...

We had a pretty chill weekend.

We went to fun station junior with Graham on Saturday, which was fun.  Nico is still captain of the Jerk squad when he has to leave... which is sort of sweet in it's own perverse way.

We chilled at the house, tried to get some chores done.  Dave had press skits rehearsal and I got a pedicure.

Nico has amassed quite the truck collection.  Isn't it cool?  Friday night, we were at Target and he wanted a truck... so I got it for him with the condition that he help me clean his room up.  I think he might be starting to get the hang of this bribery thing.

Pipe Dream

Not much else going on.  The legislative session is about 4 days old and I am already over it.  I am going to be glad when the session is over... and better yet, when Dave doesnt have to deal with Florida's legislative session.  Boom!!

We took Gordon to the vet yesterday for Cardiologist appointment.  You know you have old dogs when your vet starts recommending senior dog stuff.  Cray.  

We are going to Fun Station Junior on Saturday with Graham.  I can almost promise that Nico is going to show his tail when we leave.... But hopefully he will have more fun than last time when it was just us.  I think he will.

Other than that, I am hoping we can just have a chill weekend.  I am trying to stay on top of the cleaning and whatnot at the house.  Who knew that running a household would be so much work?  I don't know how our Moms handled it.  I am just worn out most of the time.  I am looking forward to the days when I can just sit on the couch and knit ALL DAY while alternates between doing chores and playing... I'm living a pipe dream, you say?  Oh well.

Trucks

Isn't this great?

Nico has been lining up some of his trucks in the doorway of the office leading out into the living room. Last night, Drake was a bit annoyed because the trucks locked him in (while Dave and I were in the kitchen talking).

It's awesome that he is playing a lot by himself these days. For a while he wouldn't play by himself and he wouldnt want to do anything except watch TV or whatever I was doing. But now he plays by himself a lot. I can actually take some time to throw a load of laundry in the wash or get dinner started. Its pretty awesome.

Gonna Rename it.

Additionally, I think I am going to change the address of this blog.

There are several reasons, but mostly because the blog is really about all of us, the Nico Royse Show on Blogger isn't really an accurate assessment of what is going on.  Additionally, I don't want to have to deal with a snotty 9 year old daughter in 10-11 years who is like, "You don't love me as much as you love Nico!!  You named the blog after him!!"  Aint nobody got time for that!!!

Also, as we move onto Chicago, I would like to blog about that experience for anyone who is still in Florida and who cares... which means I am going to make this one public again.  I guess I could just start a new blog for that, but there is a threshold on the amount of stuff that I have scattered to the far-flung corners of the internet.

I won't do so until probably May or so, so if you are one of the 2 readers who aren't my sister and mom, make sure you either comment or send em an email at jessibishoproyse at gmail.com,  so that I know to invite you to the new one.

Polo Shirt

When we were in Orlando over the weekend, we went to the outlet mall.  Grandma bought Nico a polo shirt because we decided that he would be adorable in it.

I think we can all agree that he is adorb.

On another front, I think we may have turned the corner in the bathroom situation.  Nico has been extraordinarily good about the whole going #2 on the potty.  For serious.  Like sometimes he will just take himself in there and get it done.

I think that the conversation I had with him regarding his desire for a sibling might have something to do with this.  I He has mentioned a couple of times that he wants a little brother or sister, so I told him that before we can talk about that, he needs to get the potty training under control, because we cant be having a baby in diapers and having to deal with that whole situation.  He still wears diapers at nap and bed time, but I think that won't last for too long.  He seems to be thinking that he is going to get a firefighter truck bed when we move to Chicago- which he says that he is going to sleep in, and put him self to sleep in.  #toogoodtobetrue?

When we came home from school on Monday, Nico and I did some exercising.  A friend had given me an older ellipitical, so I did that for a while and then Nico did it while I lifted weights.  He did calves with me.  He is pretty excited about how big our muscles are going to be.

That is where we are at.  Still trying to find a house that we can live in in the Chicago area.  But, it seems to NOT be a renter's market.  At least not for people with two large dogs who want a yard with a fence.  

Orlando

This weekend we met Dave's parents (Grandma and Grandpa) and Aunt Rosie in Orlando so that they could spend some time with Nico before we move for the big city.  It was a pretty fun weekend, even if it was a little cold.

Nico had a pretty good time.  Hanging around the hotel on Saturday night, we found a new love: the Coast Guard Rescue show on the Weather Channel.  That is definitely his jam these days.  

In the show Fireman Sam, the fire trucks are named after Ancient Roman gods: Jupiter is the big ladder truck, Venus is the smaller truck with tractor tracks and Neptune is the boat they use for water rescues.  Well, Nico calls Dave's 4Runner, Jupiter and my Kia, Venus.  So much so, when Dave asked me which car I was taking to work, I responded, Venus.  Ha!!!  

The legislative session starts this week.  Boo!!  

Dave and I have decided to start eating a Mediterranean diet.  Mostly because of this article in NEJM.   Seriously, you know your findings are legit when you can get away with ending your study early because you think it is unethical to not let your control group in on the treatment action.  We already eat a Mediterranean-like diet.  We use a lot of olive oil in our cooking, and I have recently started drinking red wine.  But having the scientific evidence there is nice too.  The main difference will be eliminating a lot of the refined foods.  I'm not sure how excited Nico will be about this :(

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.:)