August 2023 Recap

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8/03 (Thu)
Joe’s work gives employees a half day off work for their birthday so we decided to pick up a movie from Redbox and grab lunch from Beef Shack. They recently put an Atlas Chicken Shack next door so we got some rice balls from there as well.

8/04 (Fri)
Joe took a vacation day and we went to Cantigny Park in the morning. My biggest gripe with them – they have landscapers with very loud and obnoxious leaf blowers all over the property. I don’t understand why they can’t do that outside of visitor hours. Needless to say, despite the beautiful gardens, the visit wasn’t exactly peaceful. To add insult to injury, they proceeded to ignore my inquiries about whether there are certain times they do the leaf blowing so I can plan my future visits accordingly.

8/13 (Sun)
We went on our first bike ride of the year at Armstrong Park. I only made it 15 minutes before growing too exhausted. Apparently the fact that I walk on my treadmill nearly every day of the week doesn’t mean squat when it comes to riding a bike. Muscles I forgot were there were so sore.

8/15 (Tue)
Ran into a fellow nature photographer I’ve been talking to online at a local park. I knew it was only a matter of time since she lives in the area and frequents many of the same places we do. We had a nice conversation and she gave me some helpful info on where to find certain species of birds.

8/16 (Wed)
They ripped up the road in front of our house as part of ongoing roadwork that started in July which includes replacing most curbs (ours excluded since they were in good shape) and the entire street in our subdivision.

8/17 (Thu)
Bought a new dip at Costco from La terra fina called Smoked Gouda & Peppers, and let me tell you, that has to be the single best dip I’ve ever had. Not only is it delicious with crackers, pita bread, and naan, but later in the month I mixed a small amount into some scrambled eggs and it was amazing.

8/19 (Sat)
Was craving takeout, but wanted something a little healthier than normal fast food fare. Yelp to the rescue! We discovered a Korean place called Bibibop and decided to give them a try. So glad we did because the food is fresh and flavorful, and the green sweet tea is amazing.

8/22 (Tue)
Joe had the day off work since the original plan was to visit the DMV (or Secretary of State as it’s called in Illinois) to get our REAL IDs. We cancelled it when we realized they were working on the roads and we didn’t want to chance not being able to easily get back to the house because Wookie is on medication I need to give her at a specific time every day.

That being said, we did go out in the early morning to Springbrook Nature Center in Itasca.

Unfortunately, it was a morning of loud noises. When we arrived at the nature center the landscapers were unloading mowers. We walked out to a section far away from them but the loud expressway was there and the planes taking off from O’Hare were flying low overhead every minute.

Stopped at Krispy Kreme and there was a mower right by the drive-thru speaker so the employees couldn’t hear us ordering, nor could we hear them. Then mower guy just stopped there but didn’t turn off the mower. So annoying! We couldn’t go inside to order like we tried originally because the doors were locked for some reason even though it was 8 am.

We got home to them paving the street so that racket was going on for hours as well. Lukcily the road was safe to drive on by the time we were ready for a late lunch.

I had a sudden craving for Red Lobster and they had a lunch deal where you get to pick four different types of shrimp, two sides, cheddar bay biscuits, and drinks for two for only $22. Not a bad deal, even having to pay a bit extra for caesar salad which is considered a premium side. They had this crab rangoon shrimp which was absolutely amazing, particularly with the accompanying dipping sauce. Everything else was ok, but that stole the show.

8/26 (Sat)
I’ve had a Super Mario t-shirt for approximately two years (Joe found it at Savers but I stole it because it’s so soft and comfy) which I wear frequently and no one ever commented on it until two men complimented me on it in the same day. Talk about random.

We took advantage of a T-Mobile Tuesday offer at Burger King so we could get “free” Whoppers. Mine wasn’t actually free because they charge $1 extra for the Impossible patty and another $1 for cheese. I’m ok with the latter but was a bit annoyed since there was no fine print about the Impossible Whopper not being completely free. It wasn’t even as good as I remember it. You had to spend $3 to get the “free” sandwich, so we also tried the chicken fries (pretty good, although the strong pepper flavor gets overwhelming after awhile) and the bacon double cheeseburger which was hands down the best item. In fact I keep craving another one.

8/29 (Tue)
I realized what I’ve been experiencing on and off since I got sick in 2019 is called closed eye hallucinations and they aren’t indictive of brain or eye damage.

Sometimes when I have my eyes closed I’ll notice a colored orb that kind of pulsates across my field of vision while changing size. These orbs are usually purple, bright pink, or neon yellow. They can get pretty intrusive and hard to ignore, but it doesn’t happen too often.

8/31 (Thu)
I started reading a Stephen King book (Fairy Tale). This is significant because years ago I got so frustrated with the shitty endings in his more recent work that I vowed not to read another book of his again. Luckily this one didn’t suck and had a proper ending with closure.

July 2023 Recap

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4th of July we went out to multiple sites to take photos and saw the infamous Monk Parakeets that have taken up residence not far from where we live. How did I not know this before?

We also saw a tagged coyote near Joe’s work.

We had a little cookout at home where I made mushroom swiss burgers. We recently discovered the deliciousness that is small portabella mushrooms from Aldi sautéed in butter. Mmmm. I still hate the texture of mushrooms (so slimy!) but they are tasty.

I added more watch bands to my collection because I love wearing a color that matches my outfit. I got them from Jane for $20 which is a great price for five bands. They’re very comfortable!

I hit my annual reading goal of 24 books in July. Guess I’ll need to choose a more ambitious goal next year!

We got some delicious Rainbow Cone.

Joe found a tick on Wookie in the house. IN. THE. HOUSE. Ugh! Ticks freak me out. Between the possibility of Lyme Disease and Alpha-gal syndrome, where you become allergic to red meat, I can’t stand ticks! I check for them all the time and that’s the first time one has ever been in the house. I guess there’s one good thing about winter – no ticks.

We had a small tornado blow through town and tornado warnings more than once.

Our neighbor across the street passed away from an aggressive brain tumor. I feel so bad for his family. We went to the wake to pay our respects and rushed back home as yet more bad weather was on its way.

We saw some red-tailed hawks and on the way home from the grocery store one more saw a bald eagle!

Tried the Japanese Kewpie Mayo that everyone was raving about, only to learn it’s just disgusting Miracle Whip! Seriously, that’s exactly what it tastes like. What a letdown!

Joe got COVID, almost exactly a year to the day he got it the first time. We suspect it was the coworker who was coughing and sneezing all day. Luckily I managed to avoid catching it again. I feel really lucky that I’ve still yet to have COVID, or at least that I know of.

Both YouTube and Spotify decided now would be the perfect time to raise their rates even though wages have stagnated and we’re dealing with “inflation” (aka corporate greed they are trying to gaslight us into thinking is inflation even though they are reporting record profits). Needless to say, I put my YouTube Premium on hold because I’m not sure I want to pay $14 monthly just to avoid ads. We’ll see how I feel after the ads start showing up, though. I’m paid up through sometime in September I believe.

The kids came over for dinner and ended up staying until 2 am to avoid having to drive in the strong thunderstorms in the area. We had fun playing games most of the evening. We started out with Taboo, which is one of my favorites. You need at least four people to play so we rarely get the opportunity. Sadly, I lost because I was teamed up with K and we weren’t getting each other’s references. That’s the price of the generational divide. If it was Joe and me against the kids I think we’d win. We’ll have to try that next time, muahaha! Afterwards we played a Nightmare Before Christmas board game they had recently gotten us, which was better than any of us expected, and then various UNO games. We especially like UNO Flex and UNO Flip.

I keep saying this, but I really need to go back to posting more frequent blogs instead of these recaps, but I never seen to want to sit down and actually type out an entry on my computer even though I have the time to do it.

New Computer

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Joe built me a new computer!

My old one was still working fine, actually, except for one little big thing – running denoise in Photoshop/Lightroom would take an average of 20 minutes per photo which was unacceptable. With my new mirrorless camera, denoise is a must due to the higher ISOs I often shoot in. So naturally, that required a whole new computer after installing a dedicated graphics card and extra memory in my old machine did nothing to improve the processing time.

We got all the components from MicroCenter, but I ordered a case from NewEgg since I didn’t like the ones MC had available. I wanted a case that had a 5.25″ bay as I planned on installing an internal memory card reader. I didn’t want a portable one that had to sit out all the time since I’ve been going out taking photos almost daily. Apparently any case with an external bay is a bit harder to come by these days, but I really like the one I ended up getting, minus a few snafus.

I was bummed I had to get a larger case (to accommodate the motherboard) than I’m used to because it feels gargantuan on my desk. Unfortunately it’s too tall to fit on the lower shelf under my desk which would have been ideal. The door to the case came dented, but the manufacturer happily sent me a new door frame. The side of the door frame came scuffed which was irritating, but Joe was able to swap the actual door from the new frame for the old one and then we ended up one with one whole front that wasn’t damaged in any way. I let the manufacturer know so they could improve their handling process moving forward, which they appreciated.

So it worked out in the end and I’m slowly getting used to this new behemoth of a case. I had to install felt pads on the rubber feet of the case, though, as it was damaging the surface of my desk! The rubber was leaving these marks I cannot seem to clean off the desk now. Luckily the case sits over them so you cannot see them.

Now denoise runs for 10 seconds on each photo which is much better. We did run into an issue that took awhile to resolve, though – Photoshop was continuously crashing during the most basic commands, such as opening more than one file at a time or trying to resize a photo. It was getting to the point it was unusable even though I tried multiple things in their troubleshooting tips. What ended up resolving the issue was switching the drivers on my graphics card from gaming to studio, or something to that affect. Photoshop hasn’t crashed a single time since. Whew!

As for the internal memory card reader, I wasn’t able to find a 5.25″ one I liked, so I ended up buying a bracket so I could get the highest rated 3.5″ one. Other than it being designed where the CF card goes in upside down for whatever reason, it’s been great. I don’t use CF cards often anyway. The reader accommodates SD cards which I do use daily, plus the microSD cards (also known as TF which I learned recently) that my dashcam uses.

I bought a monitor arm during Prime Day too so my whole computer desk looks pretty cool now.

Poor Robert Smith is being blocked by my monitor, though, so we will have to raise the wall shelf so I can see him again.

June 2023 Recap

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One day I was browsing Facebook and there was an ad for special edition Goose Creek candles featuring Strawberry Shortcake characters. I immediately thought of my cousin and sent her the link. She quickly responded “way ahead of you” and sent me a screenshot of an order she had placed for all of them the day before. Then a week later a package arrived at my house with these inside. My cousin is so thoughtful!

Joe and I were hanging out on the patio one evening when I spotted a rabbit amongst the basil my neighbors grow.

I was on my morning walk with Wookie on June 5th and texted Joe.

Me: Awww man the lighting out here is perfect for picture taking. I’m pulling you out of work. I’ll get the red sports car and disguise.

Joe’s reply: Do you have a kiss for daddy?

The funny thing is I had no idea this was the date from the movie until I saw this meme. What are the odds?

Some weird nature related wizard started letting me see insects & birds after I wished to do so out loud. It happened four times where I’d tell Joe I’d really like to see x thing and then not five minutes later, it would appear. It was really freaky! I have a hard time of believing in God (or any gods for that matter), but I did say he could turn me into a believer if he got rid of my tinnitus entirely by the end of the month. Sadly, it didn’t happen, so I remain a skeptic.

Donated items to my friend – including board games & a bunch of candles she said her daughter would like (I don’t plan on buying candles anymore because I’m worried about the harm they do to our lungs).

Heard that a new A&W restaurant recently opened in the area. Now, the last time I ate at one many moons ago I was not impressed, but we decided to give it a try since it was on the way back from a bird sanctuary we wanted to visit anyway. We ordered a root beer cream freeze (it’s like a cross between a float and a shake), corn dog nuggets, and a chili cheese dog. We also grabbed some Portillos fries on the way home. Everything except the freeze was disappointing. I suppose the silver lining is we won’t be tempted to eat at either place again anytime soon.

Met a fellow photographer at a park we frequent and became Facebook/Flickr friends which is cool.

Intended to go to the DMV to get the REAL ID that is now required to get into Fermilab’s grounds (they have some nice nature areas I want to photograph), but could not find my birth certificate anywhere. Took advantage of Joe having the morning off anyway and visited Cantigny Park to get loads of lovely flower photos. I wish it had been a more peaceful visit, however. After a little mulling over, I sent them a message via Facebook:

I’m not trying to be THAT person, but I came early today to enjoy a rare morning off with my husband and it was anything but peaceful with staff members walking around with loud leaf blowers and kicking up dust. I’m not sure why they can’t do that before you’re open to the public, but I’d like to avoid it in the future because it ruined an otherwise pleasant visit. Therefore, if you could tell me what days/times your staff normally walks around with the leaf blowers I can avoid the park during those times. Thanks.

That was on a Friday right before 5 pm so I wasn’t surprised they didn’t respond, so on the following Monday after 7 pm I sent another message:

The above wasn’t a rhetorical question. I would like to know the schedule for the leaf blowers, please.

Still no response (other than an automated one stating they’d respond during business hours, even though to this date they never have). Ok, then. I see how much they care about their visitors. I guess all subsequent visits will be via the Museum Pass I can get at the library instead of paying them. I just hope I can avoid those goddamn loud leafblowers!!!

I was able to get a photo of the birth certificate my mom has and use that info to request my own copies. We’ll see how long that takes!

I had my annual wellness exam with a new doctor because mine left the practice. She’s… ok. I don’t dislike her but I don’t love her either. She ordered bloodwork which you have to fast for, and I knew this ahead of time, but made the mistake of making an 11 am appointment and wasn’t sure I’d last. I called the office to confirm they do have a phlebotomist on staff and they assured me they do not and that I would have to go next door to immediate care to get my blood drawn. I assumed that would take too long mid-day and would just come back a different day when they first open. Well, that was a mistake! Not only did I find out from the doctor there is a phlebotomist on staff, so I wouldn’t have had to wait, but when I did go to immediate care a few days later I was behind 8 other people who arrived early as well. The wait ended up being slightly over a half hour which still wasn’t bad, but it would have been zero had I not eaten on the call center person’s advice. Note for future reference, I guess.

Joe’s great aunt (his late father’s sister) passed away and we attended her funeral and wake. On the way home we stopped and picked up Culver’s because we were hungry and it seemed like a fitting tribute since she loved that place. In fact, the last time we saw her was when Joe, me, she, and Joe’s dad went out to Culver’s for lunch.

May 2023 Recap

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Visited Lilacia Park to see the blooming flowers and test my new camera. The lilacs weren’t in full bloom yet, but the tulips certainly were, and I prefer them anyway!

Prior to that we visited Cheap Kiss Records (cute, but not that impressive) and a place called Kuppies Bakery where I had the yummiest banana muffin. There was a small coffee place next door (Funky Java Coffee House) that makes a great latte for a reasonable price too.

Created a time-lapse of the zinnia seedlings we planted in a pot in April as they reach toward the sunlight; then planted them outside the following day.

Zinnia Seeds Timelapse

Went to Murphy’s Farm to get flowers for the patio because they are always a good quality at a great price.

Afterwards we stopped at the Ukrainian church to pick up some pierogis and stuffed cabbage. We’ve only been talking about going there for years and never doing it. The food was good!

Was watching Ted Lasso when I spotted a familiar typeface and paused it to see Trent was wearing a Cure shirt. This was the best you could see as there was never a scene where it was fully visible.

Received the Monin syrups we had ordered.

The white peach syrup is going to be used to re-create the gone, but never forgotten, Chick-fil-A peach tea lemonade I’ve been craving since they so cruelly removed it from their menu years ago.

Got my annual hair cut. Not even joking. I am so bad about getting it cut I usually do it once a year when it starts getting warm outside. It came out very uneven which was disappointing because I like the woman, but I won’t be going back. I think she was in a hurry to get back to her visiting friend (she does hair from her basement; my friend is her cousin). Oh well.

Tried Butter Chicken for the first time. We got it at Costco and loved it!

Sold some undeveloped property that Joe’s mother “gifted us” years ago. We never wanted/asked for this financial burden, but didn’t want to hurt her feelings by selling it when she was alive. Let this be a lesson to everyone – it’s not a gift if it’s going to cost someone time/effort/money (unless they asked for it).

Was sitting on the couch one afternoon when I suddenly realized all the birds were going nuts outside, so I went to take a look. Apparently a sharp-shinned hawk had gotten hold of a bird and they were pissed. I was able to grab my camera and get a clear photo after stepping onto the patio.

My friend and her dog came to visit! We’ve been to her house several times over the past few years, but she hasn’t been to my place since before the pandemic. She usually has dogs she is sitting which is why she doesn’t leave her house often. She got to try our favorite place – Just Kabobs – and loved it, just like I thought she would.

On the way to a park to take some photos we spotted a Cooper’s Hawk less than a block from the house. I scared it when I got out of the car, but was able to get this photo of it in the tree.

We went to my parents’ house the day before Memorial Day to celebrate the holiday. We played badminton in the backyard which was fun.

Visited Lincoln Marsh in Wheaton for the first time. Not only was it a bust, but we got eaten by mosquitos on the way out of the forest area. I’ve never seen that many of them in one place! We will probably go back at some point, but will be applying the bug spray liberally.

Took this cute photo of a female cardinal on my neighbor’s grill.

Almost cracked my Apple Watch on a doorway. Luckily the screen protector saved it.