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6-27-05

The Odyssey sails from Navy Pier out of the breakwall and up north along the waterfront. On the first deck, Colleen and I took advantage of the karaoke. We shocked and entertained with our white girls version of Digital Underground's Humpty Dance. Don't fear (those of you who know how badly I sing)...I was merely a backup dancer. I left 99% of the singing to Colleen.

6-27-05

My company celebrated tonight with our annual boat cruise on the Odyssey. This shot is taken from the water taxi that Jace and I took from our offices in the south loop over to Navy Pier. The water taxi was really neat. Your journey on the Chicago River takes you under all the major bridges and satisfies with views of great architecture along the way. All for about $6 a person. Taking a cab probably would have cost more.

6-26-05

Here's a close up of a bumble bee that I captured with Jace's 'everyday' camera. I can't wait to see what kind of shots he got with the 10D monster.

6-26-05

Jace and I were dog sitting in Highland Park this weekend and were conveniently within walking distance of the Chicago Botanical Gardens. Surprisingly, I had never been to the Botanical Gardens before. They are more manicured and formal than I had expected. But they were wonderful. I can imagine how pleasant it would be to visit on a day that isn't excruciatingly hot.

6-22-05

Back for more focus groups. The testing facility has some fun views of Michigan Avenue, looking across the street to the Tribune Tower and down at the cabs and buses. Gets me thinking more about the "hustle and bustle" feel of the city...sometimes fun, sometimes hassel.

6-21-05

Today my team did focus group testing of some new website designs for Apartments.com. When it comes to observing focus groups, one of the best things is the jars of candy. Second to that are the totally random comments that the participants offer, such as "Maps are for fourth graders." Thank you, our site is the one with the map on the homepage.

6-18-05

Mmm, I love bacon.
I also love barbeque.
Mmm yum, Famous Daves.

6-18-05

This weekend was another opportunity to visit things newly acquired through marriage. We went to the house in Bloomington to assess any work that needed to get done before putting it on the market. Easy come, easy go. I did get to spend one night in my new house. It's so charming, but too far away from Chicago. I did come to a realization while there: my desire to live in the heart of the big city is waning. I certainly enjoy living in Chicago. But the experience over the weekend of having a yard, and a driveway and big deck with shade trees, just felt different. It was a different feeling than going on a vacation in the country or trips to mine or Jace's parents' rural homes. It feels different when it's your house and your yard and your deck. Nice feeling.

6-11-05

Jace and I traveled to Elk City for a funeral this weekend. A sad occasion, but also an opportunity to see our family. Through marriage, I acquired in-laws, 3 brothers, 3 sisters, 2 nieces and 2 nephews. It was wonderful to spend time with them all at the cabin, on the boat and the new 4 wheeler.

6-14-05

I look like I probably exercise a little, and I used to, in high school. I did the ultimate loner sports...swimming, track and cross country. In college I picked up rock climbing and golf and dropped the cardio sports. I still maintained the appearance of fit. I did sports, therefore I was in shape. To be truthful, rock climbing does sometimes involve hiking up hill to get to cliffs and I walk the course when I play golf. Now that I'm well past college and chained to a desk chair all day, I'm not even climbing or golfing with an kind of regularity. Two years ago I realized that putting some cardio back in my life wouldn't hurt. I got a membership at a health club located literally 100 yards from my apartment. It was great. It was also busy; the cardio machines were always busy. I got in the habit of going over there and doing nothing more vigorous than taking a dip in the hot tub and then relaxing in the steam room or sauna. I might as well have paid membership dues at a spa. So here I am today, still hardly able to sprint up the stairs at an L platform without getting winded. So this morning my husband and I went for a jog in our neighborhood. It was nice. It was also early, 6:00am early...not sure how long that will last. But I'm fully awake. I have time to post a blog entry before work. I feel pretty good. We'll see if it happens again tomorrow.