Month: September 2007

Sucktoberfest

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A word to the wise – the reason Carol Stream’s Oktoberfest is not heavily advertised, or even listed on Metromix’s website, is because it’s not worth attending. We actually dragged our butts out of the house today in anticipation of some good German food and music and for what? Nothing! The was one pathetic food booth (two if you count Culver’s frozen treats which I do not) and a band who wasn’t playing any music. And you should have seen the keg. I’ve seen larger ones at kids’ parties.

In a matter of five minutes we were gone and on our way to Blockbuster to rent a movie instead. I’m making tacos and I sure do hope they don’t kill me since my body is reacting oddly to a variety of foods since August. I mean tongue swelling from yogurt? WTF?

Kelly Miller Circus

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The circus came to town last week and I decided we needed to check it out. The last time I remember going to a circus was when my grandparents took me. I was about 10 years old and I got to ride an elephant which was the highlight of my week. I also got a blow-up elephant to take home that I loved until the day my cousin sat on it and it popped. I was so pissed off sad. But I digress.

This circus wasn’t too shabby. Not that I have much to compare it to. The tickets were reasonable and the show was longer than I expected – nearly 2 hours (longer if you count the intermission). The first round of gymnasts, I guess you would call them, was a group of Asian guys. They reminded me of that guy in Ocean’s 11. If you’ve seen the movie you know what I’m talking about. They are very flexible and were jumping all over the place, through hoops, etc. There were also some acrobats that climbed a pole another acrobat was balancing on his shoulders or forehead. No nets either! There were horses, dogs, camels and elephants that performed too. And only one clown, whew! Not a big fan of clowns. I liked the juggler, however. He was near the end of the show.

Now the not so great stuff. It felt a little claustrophobic inside the tent and it was hard to breathe. They took every opportunity to try and make more money by selling tons of concessions, toys, coloring books, elephant rides, etc. I felt bad for the people sitting behind the kids who won these monster balloons. It was a gimmick to sell bags of peanuts – some bags had a tag inside saying you won a balloon. Like they couldn’t wait until the end of the show to do that? It was packed in there as it was.

But in all, I enjoyed the show and I managed to get a few decent photos too. I had my camera on the fastest shutter speed and ISO I could get away with. Of course I ran out of memory just as the elephants came out and had to switch to my Powershot which sucks in low-light situations but what can you do? It was still an interesting experience.

October mini-vacation

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I realized the other day I have 6 vacation days left to burn this year so I scheduled a week off in late October. Then I started planning some fun things to do during that week. We’re not in a position to take a real vacation but I’m certainly not sitting at home either. So far I have this on the agenda:

Museum of Science & Industry – We haven’t visited for at least four years now so I think it’s time to see what’s new. And as luck would have it, there’s a special Star Wars exhibit opening in early October. It sounds really cool and if we go on a Monday or Tuesday we only have to pay the special exhibit fee because general admission is free.

Adler Planetarium – I mentioned when we went to the Shedd Aquarium earlier this year that I’d like to visit the Planetarium again. Their general admission is free on Mondays and Tuesdays in October too so I’m thinking we’d visit in the afternoon once we get bored with the museum. I doubt it will be busy. The Planetarium isn’t the most exciting place in Chicago but it can be fun if you space out your visits to every decade or so.

Cosley Zoo – I want to see some Halloween decorations and even though this zoo is small, I bet they will have some nifty scarecrows and stuff up. It doesn’t seem like Brookfield Zoo has anything going on during the week and I like avoiding the weekend crowds.

Morton Arboretum – We haven’t been here in awhile either. Wow, I just checked and it’s been five years in fact! I didn’t realize it had been that long. (Here’s photos from then in case you’re interested). I think it will be really pretty in the Fall. Plus they have discount Wednesday admission and decorations along the paths like scarecrows and ghosts.

Our anniversary is during the week we’re off too, so we’ll probably go out to eat. I’m leaning towards Wildfire since had such a good experience last time. Also my boss keeps bugging me about taking a trip to Galena Illinois. It’s not entirely out of the question… maybe spend one night there since the drive is over two hours one way. I have to do some research to see if there’s anything worthwhile to do there. I’m not big on browsing the local shops or sitting at a bar. I need more stimulation than that.

In any case, I’m excited and can’t wait! It’s nice having something fun to look forward to. I really love the month of October. It’s one of my favorite months for so many reasons, Halloween being a big part of that. I think Halloween is probably my favorite holiday, closely followed by Thanksgiving and then Christmas. Ironic that my two of my favorites are during the cold months which I loathe so much, huh?

My day

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So what did I do with my day to myself while Joe was out paintballing with his friends? Organize the pantry and cabinets, go through all the mail that we got over the week, and watch tv. Yes, I am lame! But organization makes me feel better. And watching tv was what I needed to do once I felt light-headed from all the activity. This place is still a mess but I don’t have the energy to clean right now. I am going to start some laundry though. Aren’t you thrilled you took time out of your day to read this boring entry?

P.S. As much as I like Fall I’m not ready for this cooler weather. :(

Labor Day

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I hope everyone had an enjoyable Labor Day! I didn’t crawl out of bed until 10:30 am because we didn’t get home from my parents’ last night until 1 am. We had a blast! Played lots of games including Friends Scene It and Guitar Hero with Brother #2. He seems happier since he dropped out of school. I worry about that decision, but it’s nice to see him less stressed and friendlier. He rarely spends the entire time hanging out with us when we visit, so it was nice. Plus I got him addicted to Pictionary, muhaha!

Playing two player mode on Guitar Hero was interesting. Apparently you can battle each other or play cooperatively. Brother #2 would play on Hard mode and I’d play on Easy yet he beat me every time except once. I’m impressed how quickly he can play that thing. Now Joe wants to get a second guitar so we can play two-player at home. We’ve actually got a rolling list of things we’d like to purchase this year if he doesn’t lose his job. He’s got an interview for another position on Friday, so please keep your fingers crossed.

We didn’t leave the house at all today. I wasn’t about to jinx it since I feel better than I have in nearly a month (check the private entry from a few days ago for the details). Maybe the new calcium pills I’ve started taking are having a positive affect. I watched a few movies including Shaun of the Dead (love that one), cleaned Peanut’s cage, and made a yummy dinner. I’m shocked how quickly the time passed since we didn’t do much.

I don’t want to go back to work!