Today I started my search for work. I am interested in something part time for now and preferably in which I do not have hours on Fridays. Chris also works from home on Fridays and it would be great to keep his schedule. I thoroughly enjoy being a housewife and all but I don't want my skills to languish for when I return to work full time - if ever. I think that if part time work suits our lifestyles then it will continue on. I need to keep my brain active though.
I've only applied for two positions. One I would like more than the other. I'm looking forward to interviewing with them both so that I can find out more about them both to make a more informed decision. Interestingly, the process of applying for one continuously had a button at the bottom to set up a profile using LinkedIn or Facebook. I would never allow my work or potential work to have access to my private life on facebook. That doesn't seem smart at all.
I need to open a bank account and get the forms for obtaining new passports tomorrow morning. Such a busy life... LOL
Also, on the unpacking front, there is only one final box on the second floor that is not unpacked. Now we just have the basement and garage to go. Its been an organizational challenge but so far, so good.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Licensed to Drive ~ in Illinois
Yesterday, Chris Chelsea and I all went to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get our licenses updated with Illinois licenses. I had read in our relocation paperwork that we are meant to change our addresses and get new licenses within 30 days of living here so we definitely met that requirement. I'm in my forties and have never had any other driver's license than my Texas one. So this was a big deal for me.
I have to say that the whole process impressed the hell out of me!! Way to Go Secretary of State Jesse White! The two main differences in my experience obtaining a license with the State of Illinois versus the State of Texas were speed and efficiency! There were several other differences as well - like the place was very clean, the bathrooms were clean, there was no waiting, every single person we encountered was lovely and nice and friendly. We got our licenses immediately rather than a crap piece of paper that serves as a temporary license until your real one arrives in the mail. The woman taking my picture told me how to hold my head and said it was a nice one and let me review it before moving on in case I wanted it retaken. We were all shocked and surprised.
The three of us arrived at the DMV at exactly 12:14 PM and we were out of there by 1:45 PM. Chris didn't have his Texas license with him (he had an old expired one) so he had to take a driving test as well. He reported that he didn't have to parallel park with the officer but he did have to demonstrate how to park on an incline. We all had to take the written test and a vision test.
They require multiple forms of documentation and for residency we only had our lease between the three of us. Therefore, even though we encountered problems with proof of residency and all had to complete an affidavit of verification of residency, and even though we had to all take a written test and Chris had to take a driving test, and even though we had to deal with an intake person, a service desk person, a testing person, a final documents person, a picture-taking person, (and Chelsea and I had to wait for Chris to take the driving test with a driving test person) and finally a fee-acceptance person - all three of us walked out of the DMV with our new licenses IN HAND within an hour and a half.
Unheard of! In Texas we would have been there all day long, delt with public employees, and then waited an additional two weeks for the real license to arrive in the mail. At least, that has been my experience every time I've ever gotten my license, up to and including having to replace my TDL when it got stolen two years ago and when I got married and changed my name three years ago.
All in all it was a fantastic experience and I was shocked with how fast the whole thing happened. Way to go, Illinois DMV!
LOVE
I have to say that the whole process impressed the hell out of me!! Way to Go Secretary of State Jesse White! The two main differences in my experience obtaining a license with the State of Illinois versus the State of Texas were speed and efficiency! There were several other differences as well - like the place was very clean, the bathrooms were clean, there was no waiting, every single person we encountered was lovely and nice and friendly. We got our licenses immediately rather than a crap piece of paper that serves as a temporary license until your real one arrives in the mail. The woman taking my picture told me how to hold my head and said it was a nice one and let me review it before moving on in case I wanted it retaken. We were all shocked and surprised.
The three of us arrived at the DMV at exactly 12:14 PM and we were out of there by 1:45 PM. Chris didn't have his Texas license with him (he had an old expired one) so he had to take a driving test as well. He reported that he didn't have to parallel park with the officer but he did have to demonstrate how to park on an incline. We all had to take the written test and a vision test.
They require multiple forms of documentation and for residency we only had our lease between the three of us. Therefore, even though we encountered problems with proof of residency and all had to complete an affidavit of verification of residency, and even though we had to all take a written test and Chris had to take a driving test, and even though we had to deal with an intake person, a service desk person, a testing person, a final documents person, a picture-taking person, (and Chelsea and I had to wait for Chris to take the driving test with a driving test person) and finally a fee-acceptance person - all three of us walked out of the DMV with our new licenses IN HAND within an hour and a half.
Unheard of! In Texas we would have been there all day long, delt with public employees, and then waited an additional two weeks for the real license to arrive in the mail. At least, that has been my experience every time I've ever gotten my license, up to and including having to replace my TDL when it got stolen two years ago and when I got married and changed my name three years ago.
All in all it was a fantastic experience and I was shocked with how fast the whole thing happened. Way to go, Illinois DMV!
LOVE
Friday, August 17, 2012
Bean bag toss and bathroom ads
Chris and I like to drink ~ I'm sure you've figured that out ~ so we've explored some of the night life the Chi-burbs have to offer. We have a FABULOUS neighborhood bar right in front of our neighborhood that is open until 3am EVERY DAY. The first two times we went there were awesome, the third time they had a wrestling match on every tv and it seemed like UFC night so we will have to figure out when that happens so we can avoid it.
One of the interesting things I observed was a huge bean bag toss game going on outside in the front. There were two platforms on either side to toss towards. The only bar games I've seen in the past are cards, pool, darts, bocci ball, shuffleboard and occasionally we play farkle at our own table with our own dice. There was a bar near us in Clear Lake that had board games like chess, checkers, etc. Oh and there are several giant Jenga sets at various bars. However, I've never seen bean bag toss at a bar before. I like the idea of bean bag toss at a bar.
After seeing that, we were at another bar later that week and I told Chris, You won't believe this but this bar also has a bean bag toss tournament weekly on a certain night every week. It's apparently a big thing here. Chris asked me how I knew that and I told him one of the bathroom ads in the ladies room was promoting it.
This launched a conversation about the ads in bathroom stalls. Chris was shocked to learn that in women's restrooms the ads are pretty much all about couples wanting you to donate your eggs or have their baby for them. Also there's always ads for abuse or run-away hotlines offering to help and lawyers who can get you out of your DUI tickets. The lawyer ads seem to be cross gender because Chris reports that the ads in men's restrooms are generally either DWI / DUI lawyers, head shops, tattoo parlors, and titty-bars. Very interesting indeed.
Now I just need to work on my mad bean bag toss skillz...
LOVE
One of the interesting things I observed was a huge bean bag toss game going on outside in the front. There were two platforms on either side to toss towards. The only bar games I've seen in the past are cards, pool, darts, bocci ball, shuffleboard and occasionally we play farkle at our own table with our own dice. There was a bar near us in Clear Lake that had board games like chess, checkers, etc. Oh and there are several giant Jenga sets at various bars. However, I've never seen bean bag toss at a bar before. I like the idea of bean bag toss at a bar.
After seeing that, we were at another bar later that week and I told Chris, You won't believe this but this bar also has a bean bag toss tournament weekly on a certain night every week. It's apparently a big thing here. Chris asked me how I knew that and I told him one of the bathroom ads in the ladies room was promoting it.
This launched a conversation about the ads in bathroom stalls. Chris was shocked to learn that in women's restrooms the ads are pretty much all about couples wanting you to donate your eggs or have their baby for them. Also there's always ads for abuse or run-away hotlines offering to help and lawyers who can get you out of your DUI tickets. The lawyer ads seem to be cross gender because Chris reports that the ads in men's restrooms are generally either DWI / DUI lawyers, head shops, tattoo parlors, and titty-bars. Very interesting indeed.
Now I just need to work on my mad bean bag toss skillz...
LOVE
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Texas is Big! Illinois, not so much.
This past weekend Chris and I traveled to the state of Wisconsin to play a round of disc golf at Fox River Park. This disc golf course has to be the best, most well-maintained, and greenest disc golf park I've ever seen in my life. It was gorgeous! The greeenery of it was stunning! Interestingly, even though it was in a park called Fox River Park, there was no river or any water hazards on the course at all. There were so many gorgeous trees and the grass was so lush. I just couldn't believe how lovely it all was. The course kicked my ass - it was the hills that did me in. Man, disc golf in Illinois (and Wisconsin so far) is really into elevation changes. Up an down hills the whole time.
Also, this course was full of "real" disc golfers - the competitive kind that I'm used to seeing in Texas all the time, as opposed to the more recreational golfers I've seen in Illinois so far at other courses. These guys were all, first of all, guys! Secondly, they all had full bags of discs. Well we saw a few with only one disc but they were the minority. They seemed to be in groups of four to a card. And they were good.
The course's amenities included score cards with a detailed map on the back for each 9-hole course ~ the front and back nine of the Gray Fox 18-hole course and the additional 9-hole separate Red Fox Course that we did not play as it was short and only rated a 2. Gray Fox was rated a 4. The park had indoor, clean restroom facilities in two locations, picnic benches throughout the course for resting, trash bins at nearly every tee, concrete tee-pads all marked with which basket location of the two basket locations on every hole was pinned in, lengths for every hole marked on the tee as well as the scorecards, and plentiful parking.
We also passed by a place called Wilmont Mountain that looks like it will be a blast in the winter time. However, during the summer months they have a flea market every weekend so that is also very cool.
The thing that made this excursion so exciting to us was that it takes less than two hours to get to another state. That doesn't happen in Texas very much unless you're near a border already which most metropolitan areas are not. From our home in the CHI-burbs we can access Wisconsin, Indiana, & Michigan very easily and quickly ~ in two hours or less. For a bit more of a drive, say 5 hours (equivalent to the trip from Houston to Dallas), we could also visit Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, and Ohio ~ All unexplored territory!! This is most exciting and very new and different for us!
***
I thought I posted this two days ago but it apparently didn't work. Ah well, here it is.
LOVE
Also, this course was full of "real" disc golfers - the competitive kind that I'm used to seeing in Texas all the time, as opposed to the more recreational golfers I've seen in Illinois so far at other courses. These guys were all, first of all, guys! Secondly, they all had full bags of discs. Well we saw a few with only one disc but they were the minority. They seemed to be in groups of four to a card. And they were good.
The course's amenities included score cards with a detailed map on the back for each 9-hole course ~ the front and back nine of the Gray Fox 18-hole course and the additional 9-hole separate Red Fox Course that we did not play as it was short and only rated a 2. Gray Fox was rated a 4. The park had indoor, clean restroom facilities in two locations, picnic benches throughout the course for resting, trash bins at nearly every tee, concrete tee-pads all marked with which basket location of the two basket locations on every hole was pinned in, lengths for every hole marked on the tee as well as the scorecards, and plentiful parking.
We also passed by a place called Wilmont Mountain that looks like it will be a blast in the winter time. However, during the summer months they have a flea market every weekend so that is also very cool.
The thing that made this excursion so exciting to us was that it takes less than two hours to get to another state. That doesn't happen in Texas very much unless you're near a border already which most metropolitan areas are not. From our home in the CHI-burbs we can access Wisconsin, Indiana, & Michigan very easily and quickly ~ in two hours or less. For a bit more of a drive, say 5 hours (equivalent to the trip from Houston to Dallas), we could also visit Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, and Ohio ~ All unexplored territory!! This is most exciting and very new and different for us!
***
I thought I posted this two days ago but it apparently didn't work. Ah well, here it is.
LOVE
Thursday, August 9, 2012
The Coldest August Day I Ever Knew
We have a missing box from our move. We started looking specifically for my husband's X-Men #1 comic book for Stan Lee to sign this weekend at Comic Con in Chicago. I knew I hadn't unpacked the comics and generally I am waiting to unpack all books until after we paint so that the shelves are easier to move.
So we started opening boxes labeled Master Bedroom Books. We opened them all and didn't see the books. We double checked all the boxes. We decided that it must be mislabeled and we looked at all boxes labeled Books. No comics. Yesterday I spent the entire day systematically going through the entire house and either unpacking or digging deep into the box to determine it's contents and then marking it with a large red X that there were no comics in those boxes. Starting with the front living room, then the dining room, then the den. No comics officially on the first floor. Second floor, Chelsea opened all her boxes of books and all of Colin's in his room. I finished the master bedroom and started on the garage. Lastly, Chelsea and I opened all the boxes in the basement. No comics. The only place left was the garage under the pile of empty boxes. This morning I collapsed enough boxes to know that there were no packed unopened boxes under the pile. Then I systematically organized all the boxes in the garage and went through every box again. No comics.
Other items on the same shelf as the comics are also all missing. These include all of Chris's rare, out-of-print, and author autographed books as well as a set of the Buddha anime books. Chris's James Bond books are not found and books written by Bond authors and signed by the authors. To say the least, it was the worst possible box of books to lose.
The weather today matched my mood. It was dreary and overcast and raining all day. When we left to pick Chris up at the train station today it was 64 degrees in the afternoon. Chelsea was wearing a jacket. She said that for the first time in her life her birthday will be chilly.
LOVE
So we started opening boxes labeled Master Bedroom Books. We opened them all and didn't see the books. We double checked all the boxes. We decided that it must be mislabeled and we looked at all boxes labeled Books. No comics. Yesterday I spent the entire day systematically going through the entire house and either unpacking or digging deep into the box to determine it's contents and then marking it with a large red X that there were no comics in those boxes. Starting with the front living room, then the dining room, then the den. No comics officially on the first floor. Second floor, Chelsea opened all her boxes of books and all of Colin's in his room. I finished the master bedroom and started on the garage. Lastly, Chelsea and I opened all the boxes in the basement. No comics. The only place left was the garage under the pile of empty boxes. This morning I collapsed enough boxes to know that there were no packed unopened boxes under the pile. Then I systematically organized all the boxes in the garage and went through every box again. No comics.
Other items on the same shelf as the comics are also all missing. These include all of Chris's rare, out-of-print, and author autographed books as well as a set of the Buddha anime books. Chris's James Bond books are not found and books written by Bond authors and signed by the authors. To say the least, it was the worst possible box of books to lose.
The weather today matched my mood. It was dreary and overcast and raining all day. When we left to pick Chris up at the train station today it was 64 degrees in the afternoon. Chelsea was wearing a jacket. She said that for the first time in her life her birthday will be chilly.
LOVE
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Disc Golf Dating
Chris and I have been playing disc golf out in the parks nearby after work nearly every day since last Thursday after much unpacking the first week we moved in. I must say that the disc golf parks in this area are unbelievably beautiful, well kept, and easier than we're used to. Now, it's not like we're shooting under par or that we have somehow improved our game but going out to a course here in the Chi-burbs is very different than a round in Houston.
First of all, all the disc golf parks are fully outfitted with great signage, concrete tee pads, marked lengths of the course, marked mandos, marked baskets, etc. It's incredible! It's like Hoffman Estates Park District GETS IT! And what of the disc golfers who get to enjoy such luxury? Well, they are mostly all couples. They appear to be young folks out enjoying a park, maybe on a date, having a good time throwing frisbees. They do not appear competitive and they do not seem like they would fit in well at any disc golf event I've ever attended, helped to organize, or photographed. I'm saying, not to toot my own horn, but I could beat most of the guys out there playing. And I truly suck at disc golf. Anyone who has every played a round with me will agree with that statement. Hey, I recognize my weaknesses. I have strengths in other areas.
The courses we've played have been lovely though! Brilliant! It's like disc golf heaven. Imagine a well marked, well maintained course with elevation, water, trees, open holes, and ones with reeds taller than my head. Good variety. Now, imagine that it's only 85 degrees with the breeze blowing and NO mosquitoes. On Friday the high of the day will be 73 degrees! In Houston it will be 93. In Houston, I sweat my butt off trying to keep up with the guys throwing 300 ft on their tee-shot being eaten alive by mosquitoes. I've actually called a game due to too many mosquitoes before. I don't think it will be a problem here.
Another huge difference between the disc golf that I'm used to and the disc golf played here is in the number of discs the players use. We have not yet unpacked our disc golf bags so we are still using our travel ones. They are small and could potentially carry a total of eight discs if you stuffed it. However, I'm carrying five in mine; as is Chris. We have more discs than anyone else on the course! The most number of discs I've seen anyone else throwing is three. Most people have two or just one driver. No bag. Nothing to drink with them either. They are simply out for a stroll with a couple of discs and walking the park in a leisure way. I doubt they are even keeping score.
I will have another post about this Illinois disc golf phenomenon as we become more immersed in the community of disc golfers in the area. We have yet to meet any of them. That's the next step though.
LOVE
First of all, all the disc golf parks are fully outfitted with great signage, concrete tee pads, marked lengths of the course, marked mandos, marked baskets, etc. It's incredible! It's like Hoffman Estates Park District GETS IT! And what of the disc golfers who get to enjoy such luxury? Well, they are mostly all couples. They appear to be young folks out enjoying a park, maybe on a date, having a good time throwing frisbees. They do not appear competitive and they do not seem like they would fit in well at any disc golf event I've ever attended, helped to organize, or photographed. I'm saying, not to toot my own horn, but I could beat most of the guys out there playing. And I truly suck at disc golf. Anyone who has every played a round with me will agree with that statement. Hey, I recognize my weaknesses. I have strengths in other areas.
The courses we've played have been lovely though! Brilliant! It's like disc golf heaven. Imagine a well marked, well maintained course with elevation, water, trees, open holes, and ones with reeds taller than my head. Good variety. Now, imagine that it's only 85 degrees with the breeze blowing and NO mosquitoes. On Friday the high of the day will be 73 degrees! In Houston it will be 93. In Houston, I sweat my butt off trying to keep up with the guys throwing 300 ft on their tee-shot being eaten alive by mosquitoes. I've actually called a game due to too many mosquitoes before. I don't think it will be a problem here.
Another huge difference between the disc golf that I'm used to and the disc golf played here is in the number of discs the players use. We have not yet unpacked our disc golf bags so we are still using our travel ones. They are small and could potentially carry a total of eight discs if you stuffed it. However, I'm carrying five in mine; as is Chris. We have more discs than anyone else on the course! The most number of discs I've seen anyone else throwing is three. Most people have two or just one driver. No bag. Nothing to drink with them either. They are simply out for a stroll with a couple of discs and walking the park in a leisure way. I doubt they are even keeping score.
I will have another post about this Illinois disc golf phenomenon as we become more immersed in the community of disc golfers in the area. We have yet to meet any of them. That's the next step though.
LOVE
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
One year later
So I've been thinking about blogging again. I do this annually it seems. My last post was regarding cutting fabric for a quilt I have envisioned and have still done nothing other than cut the fabric. However, since then I have actually constructed and finished an entire quilt - a baby quilt with large panels that were printed images so really I just constructed the edging of the whole thing. It turned out well. It was a baby quilt with a dragon theme for a new little one named Elliot.
Now we have moved to the suburbs of Chicago and I think documenting my impressions of Illinois as a recent transplant from Texas will be fun to write. So here is a short synopsis from the last week.
Illinois is wonderful! but difficult to spell. I seem to get it wrong every time. It sounds a little weird too. Like Ill-Annoy which is sticky with negative connotation. The parks here are gorgeous! I can't believe how many gorgeous parks there are all over the place! There are also numerous lovely lakes that I'm looking forward to picnicking beside. The roads are well maintained and the signage is very clear. I love Hoffman Estates! I have no idea where it's boundaries are but that's okay because I also love Barrington and Schaumburg and Palatine. This whole area is so green. We have Christmas trees everywhere! People have Christmas trees sprouting up in their front yards and they line the freeways. I am looking forward to seeing how they will look covered in snow.
It rarely snows in Texas. Not in the Gulf Coast near Houston where I've lived my entire life. We have snow flurries on occasional winters but they are freak accidents during which the roads are closed and the television alarmists warn everyone to stay inside and hunker down. We Texans can't drive in the stuff or lead normal lives with it coming down. It's a treat and an occasion to mark on calendars and close school and stay home from work to experience this wondrous natural phenomenon and celebrate with hot chocolate. Break out the iPhone cameras and take a thousand photos of everything as it's coming down. It never sticks to the ground or stays for more than a few hours.
Driving around looking at the commercial property near us to see our options on shopping and dining out, we saw an Avenue shop going out of business and went inside. Very interesting to me was that everything in the store was sweaters, jeans, and coats. They had a smattering of other things - a suit, a few pairs of shoes, but the bulk of everything was sweaters. Everything was up to 90% off so coats regularly $159 were purchased for $15.90 each - two each for me and my daughter. I also got four sweaters which more than triples my sweater collection! We only ever have two winter days in Houston, Texas so there was never really a need for sweaters. They say you are meant to layer and I looked for layering materials in the store but there were no long sleeve cotton shirts - just sweaters. So I feel prepared on some level.
That's a good start for now.
LOVE
Now we have moved to the suburbs of Chicago and I think documenting my impressions of Illinois as a recent transplant from Texas will be fun to write. So here is a short synopsis from the last week.
Illinois is wonderful! but difficult to spell. I seem to get it wrong every time. It sounds a little weird too. Like Ill-Annoy which is sticky with negative connotation. The parks here are gorgeous! I can't believe how many gorgeous parks there are all over the place! There are also numerous lovely lakes that I'm looking forward to picnicking beside. The roads are well maintained and the signage is very clear. I love Hoffman Estates! I have no idea where it's boundaries are but that's okay because I also love Barrington and Schaumburg and Palatine. This whole area is so green. We have Christmas trees everywhere! People have Christmas trees sprouting up in their front yards and they line the freeways. I am looking forward to seeing how they will look covered in snow.
It rarely snows in Texas. Not in the Gulf Coast near Houston where I've lived my entire life. We have snow flurries on occasional winters but they are freak accidents during which the roads are closed and the television alarmists warn everyone to stay inside and hunker down. We Texans can't drive in the stuff or lead normal lives with it coming down. It's a treat and an occasion to mark on calendars and close school and stay home from work to experience this wondrous natural phenomenon and celebrate with hot chocolate. Break out the iPhone cameras and take a thousand photos of everything as it's coming down. It never sticks to the ground or stays for more than a few hours.
Driving around looking at the commercial property near us to see our options on shopping and dining out, we saw an Avenue shop going out of business and went inside. Very interesting to me was that everything in the store was sweaters, jeans, and coats. They had a smattering of other things - a suit, a few pairs of shoes, but the bulk of everything was sweaters. Everything was up to 90% off so coats regularly $159 were purchased for $15.90 each - two each for me and my daughter. I also got four sweaters which more than triples my sweater collection! We only ever have two winter days in Houston, Texas so there was never really a need for sweaters. They say you are meant to layer and I looked for layering materials in the store but there were no long sleeve cotton shirts - just sweaters. So I feel prepared on some level.
That's a good start for now.
LOVE
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