Millennium Park

The plan this morning was to visit the Shedd Aquarium to check out the remodeled Oceanarium. Small problem, however – the Bears were playing this afternoon at Soldier Field so all the parking by the Adler Planetarium was off-limits and all the lots in the nearby vicinity were chock full of Bears fans already tailgaiting at 9 am. Grrr!

To salvage the day we decided to park in the Millennium Park garage and check out the Cloud Gate which I’ve been wanting to photograph for years.

Cloud Gate

After walking around for awhile we found ourselves in front of the Art Institute. We decided to check it out, but then changed our mind once we learned we’d have to check our expensive camera equipment. Good thing, too, since I hadn’t realized that Bank of America was offering free admission today and would have been pissed if I paid to get in when I didn’t need to!!!

Soon we found ourselves walking down Michigan Avenue, also known as the Magnificent Mile, and ended up at the John Hancock Building. Joe has never been to their observatory, so we paid to go up to the 94th floor. It was a bit hazy outside but we still got some great shots.

Lake Shore Drive

From there we decided to check out a little place called the Soupbox on Chicago Avenue.

After our little lunch we walked back to the parking garage and went home. Even though we got home around 2 pm it felt so much later. I really hate this time of the year when it gets dark so early. It must be why this day has seemed to last forever. Not that I’m complaining; I don’t really want to go back to work.

But for now I am going to take a Dramamine and see what happens. See, my therapist suggested I take it for our flight on Saturday but I want to know ahead of time how it makes me feel so there’s no surprises. I hope it makes me sleepy!

Chicago photos @ Perfect Pixels

Always playing catchup

So there’s been a lot going on but I’ve been too lazy to post about it…

We’re going on vacation a week from today! Yep, I will be flying for the first time in 13 years. I hadn’t flown before due to a phobia I developed over the years. I’ve read that it’s not unusual for people to develop the phobia in their late twenties to early thirties since most people start to really contemplate their own mortality. I think I’ve always worried about dying, even as a kid, but I do think it’s gotten much worse for me the older I get. I think it’s due to 9/11 which still makes me incredibly sad to this day even though I didn’t know anyone affected by it, and also because I have such an appreciation for life and the little things in ways I never did when I was younger. I have always been accused of having a negative attitude, and that’s partially true to a certain extent, but believe it or not, I’m actually quite an optimistic person most of the time. I just don’t always show that side since it seems sappy.

I have a lot of anxiety issues, though, so I’ve been seeing a hypnotherapist to help calm me down. It seems to be working at least a little. It doesn’t matter, really, because we’re going whether it scares the shit out of me or not. Face your fears, or let them control you, right? I’m sick of letting the fear keep me from visiting places. I would like to go back to Disney World, possibly next year, since the tickets we bought on our honeymoon never expire and still have seven days left on them. I also really want to visit Seattle and Anaheim among other places (like Europe).

So anyway, Saturday we’re flying to Phoenix and spending two days there, then driving with Joe’s parents to Las Vegas. We’ll be staying there two nights (at the Monte Carlo), then going back to Phoenix for a few more days, then flying home on Saturday. The week after that is Thanksgiving so I only have to work three days when I get back. It’s going to be great, provided neither plane crashes. ;) I kid, I kid! We’re flying Southwest who has a stellar safety record because yes, I am that paranoid.

Thursday my company’s new CFO took myself and some other people from the Finance department out to lunch as a thank you for completing a project that was in the making for well over a year. The last few months were the worst however. I’m not the biggest fan of the restaurant we went to, but who’s going to knock a free meal? Plus the chocolate mousse cake was well worth it. The CFO seems really nice and down to earth which is good. I will give my company credit – they are pretty good at hiring people who even at the top of the ladder are not snobby and unwilling to socialize with the rest of us.

Last weekend we gave the rats a bath, but this time I put them in the bathtub which just an inch of water and some ferret shampoo. They didn’t like the water and kept trying to jump out, straight up in the air which I’ve never seen them do before. Nutterbutter in particular can jump higher than I’ve ever witnessed. It’s usually Templeton who will try and jump over the makeshift walls we built for their playpen. Too bad for them I am giving them another bath on Wednesday or Thursday before we take them to a friends’ house to pet sit for us. They will also be keeping an eye on Oreo even though she’d be perfectly happy to be left alone for a week. She can ration her food, however, whereas the rats cannot. If I gave them a week’s worth of food they’d eat it the same day and starve to death the rest of the week.

Sorry if this entry is all disjointed. I just wanted to document some things since I often use this journal as reference for myself, but now we have to head out to drop K off since we’re heading into the city early tomorrow morning to visit the Shedd Aquarium. I’m really looking forward to it since they’ve redone the Oceanarium.

You know, I think I just need to find an easy way to post all my Twitter updates to this blog automagically and I will never have to write an entry again! ;)

—————-
Now playing: Owl City – Tidal Wave
via FoxyTunes