Saturday we took the kids to see Cars 2 and Sunday we went back to the theater to see Bad Teacher. Both movies were good. After the movie Sunday we cashed in a Groupon and played miniature golf by the Fox River, then had tacos for lunch.
The End.
Month: June 2011
Vet
I took Amy and Templeton to the vet today because Amy’s head is tilted to the left side and Templeton has some sores on his back feet and fur loss. $133 later and I’ve got oral antibiotics for both and a cream for Templeton’s feet. The sad part is the medicine totaled $35; it was the cost to see the vet that was outrageous. I had to pay $49 each when I swear it used to be cheaper, not to mention I thought Amy would be free since they used to not charge for any pet’s initial visit, but I was informed they stopped doing that a year ago. Sucks to pay $49 on a $5 animal, but hopefully she will feel better.
By the way, I will never buy mice again. They stink up the cage no matter what I do. It’s too much work for very little return, so they better enjoy themselves as my only mice because I won’t be doing that again. In fact I think I’m going to go rodent-less once all my current ones are gone. I need a break from all this cage cleaning.
Car Repairs
I’ve had my Jetta for over a decade and unfortunately it’s starting to cost more and more to maintain.
My latest trip to the dealership came with a recommended $2900 of fixes. Interestingly enough, the most important fix, $800 to replace my coil springs, one of which they claim is cracked, has not been an issue since the visit. If the crack was causing the clanging sound I was hearing how come I haven’t heard it even once since I took my car in? Not only that, but they claim the spark plugs need to be replaced even though Joe did that last year. It makes me wonder.
This has prompted us to start discussing whether it’s time for me to get a new car even though ideally we wanted to wait another five years.
The problem is I do not like the current Jetta because it looks like a Passat. I’ve been leaning toward a 2-door Golf because I like how it looks, plus it’s got the same engine as the Jetta so I’m pretty sure I’ll like the handling (although I’ve yet to take one for a test drive). The price isn’t bad at $20,090 and that includes heated front seats which I absolutely must have; I use mine constantly from October-April. With the Jetta you have to buy a more expensive trim (the Jetta SE) just to get the heated seats because it’s not available on the base model. In addition to that, it’s part of a “convenience package” that costs an additional $1365 and includes stuff I don’t care about (like Bluetooth capabilities), and the SE only comes with leather seats while I actually prefer cloth. Whereas on the Golf the heated front seats are part of a $225 cold-weather package and I’d get the cloth seats I like. Less price and all the features I want. That’s a win-win. I’m just not sure I’m ready to make the financial plunge that comes with it, however.
All things considered, if I do get a new car it will most likely be a Golf because I’m really not interested in going with another manufacturer based on price alone. Plus a lot of them don’t offer heated seats. Seriously? More money and a cold tushie? Where’s the sense in that?
Louis C.K. at the Chicago Theatre
It was only a few short months ago that I wrote about my favorite comedian, Louis C.K. Last night I finally got the opportunity to see him live and he did not disappoint! I was a bit bummed that our seats weren’t as close to the stage as I initially thought, but my line of sight wasn’t bad; I just had to keep readjusting when the girl in front of me would move her head (she seriously could not sit still).
It’s been seventeen years (half my life!) since I’ve set foot in the Chicago Theatre, the last time being when I worked for Gallery 37 and we were treated to an afternoon showing of Jesus Christ Superstar. Suffice it to say, I don’t remember the interior at all, but it’s really beautiful. The women’s restrooms are really bizarre, however. There’s only four stalls and they are above the regular floor level which makes for interesting shoe-watching when you’re waiting in line. It’s tough to explain, but if you’ve ever been there you’ll know exactly what I mean. Plus the entire bathroom is coated in Pepto-Bismol pink. The concessions are what you’d expect – overpriced. $4 for a small bottle of water and $6 for a can of beer, but we got something anyway.
I wasn’t exactly thrilled about Louie sharing the stage with “three very special guests”, but at least the way they did it kept things interesting and gave us enough of Louie to keep the audience satisfied. Louie came out first and told some jokes, then introduced his first guest whose name I don’t recall because he’s not a comedian I’m familiar with. That was a bit disappointing, but his ten minute act was alright. Afterward Louie came back out, did some more jokes, and then introduced his next guest which was Richard Lewis! I remember watching him on HBO at my grandparent’s house back when having cable was rare, so that was a nice surprise. After his ten minute act, Louie came back out, did some more jokes, and introduced his final guest – Steven Wright! I was very excited because I didn’t know he still did stand-up and I’ve always liked his dead-pan demeanor. Once again, after Steven’s act, Louie came back out and then closed the house with more jokes.
In all, we got over an hour of Louie and a half hour of the other guys combined, so it was good. Louie was the funniest, of course! And the best part is that 99% of his act was entirely new material I’ve never heard before, and believe me, I know his material backwards and forwards at this point. It’s one of the reasons why I admire him so much. There are several comedians, including Nick Swardson and Aziz Ansari, whom I really do love, but who rarely introduce new material. It takes a brilliant mind to throw out all the stuff you know has gotten laughs and start anew, but Louis C.K. does it every time he tours and that’s why I plan to see him every time he comes to town.
Museum Sunday
Sunday we decided to take advantage of Bank of America’s Museums On Us program and check out the Shedd Aquarium’s new jellyfish exhibit. We arrived just as they opened, parked at a close-by meter ($1.50 an hour) and had to pay $9.95 each to access the Oceanarium and special exhibit area, so it wasn’t 100% free, but much better than nearly $40 per person!
The exhibit wasn’t huge, but it was interesting, and I enjoyed seeing some new jellyfish species I haven’t seen before. Afterward we went to the underwater viewing areas to see the beluga whales, dolphins, and penguins, and then went back to the main level to check out the huge tank before driving to Millennium Park to an underground parking garage which has an exit across the street from the Art Institute of Chicago.
It’s been so long since I’ve last visited the Art Institute! At least 15 years, if not 20. It’s not the most exiting museum in the world, but it was interesting, and the $18 per person admission was 100% free which made the $20 parking easier to swallow. Joe was happy seeing the painting pictured below which was featured in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
We spent about two hours there before growing bored. Plus I was sweating up a storm. It was around 80 degrees out but I figured since we’d be inside all day I’d be cold in the air-conditioning so I wore track pants and a short-sleeved shirt but either the museums weren’t cranking out the air as usual or the medication I was on was making me warmer than normal.
On the way home we picked up BBQ beef brisket from an awesome placed called Smoque which we’ve been to once before. They were featured on Diner’s, Drive-Ins, and Dives on the Food Network and they are amazing. It’s always busy with the line out the door but well worth the wait. I’ve said it before – I don’t really care for BBQ, but this place is so good I just love it! If you’re ever in the Chicago area you must make a point to try it.
It was a really nice weekend that passed far too quickly, and obviously a busy week as well since it’s taken me this long just to post an update!
Photos
Shedd Aquarium – Flickr // Perfect Pixels // Perfect Pixels 2
Art Institute – Flickr
Videos at YouTube
Beluga Whales
Pacific White-Sided Dolphins
Tank cleaning and the Sting-Ray