Check another one off the list!

One of the things about living in the Chicagoland area is that winters here can be unpredictable at best.  When I was a kid I used to love the winter as I was an avid skier, but as I've gotten older and the grown up world of commuting to work and other such adult BS has factored into my thinking, I've grown sick of the cold and snow.  And while I still ski every now and again, I can't seem to find that indifference to the cold that I had a kid.

Anyway, I digress...as I mentioned winters here can be at times, mild or subzero cold.  Usually all within a few days of each other, so it was no surprise that we went from a mild weekend of temperatures in the mid 40's to 8 inches of snow.  After convincing my girlfriend to come over in the snowstorm (in my defense I never looked outside to see how bad the snowstorm was) I had the brilliant idea that we should go outside an build a snowman (something on her bucket list) and I could make a snow angel, which for some reason I had on my bucket list.  I don't know, maybe it was on there so I could remember what it was like to be a kid again, without a care in the world and no knowledge of how tough life could be at times.  What was surprising was that my girlfriend (who hates winter and snow more than I do) didn't hesitate a second.

Next thing you know there we are, in the snow building a snowman (not as easy as I remember) while both of us laughed and giggled like children.  After about 10 minutes we had build a somewhat small snowman, which even without a carrot nose and a coal smile, looked pretty good!

Our snowman

Now it was time for my snow angel.  As I spread my arms and fell backward into the snow, the first thing I realized was while the snow was about 6 inches deep, it wasn't all that soft of a landing!  As I lay there in the snow...laughing, I begin to flail away, making what I hoped was the best snow angel EVER.  Then I began to notice that my ass was now cold, and wet...two issues I don't remember having (or caring about) when I was a kid.  Either way, I stood up, admired my handiwork, took a picture and got my cold wet ass back inside to change.  But I have to admit, for the briefest of moments, I forgot that I had to work in the morning, I didn't care what my neighbors might say if they looked outside.   I forgot about bills I had to pay, or dishes that needed to be done.  I felt like a kid again...mission accomplished!

Not as soft a landing as I had hoped for!

Can't stop laughing!

#92 Make a snow angel 

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 10

Describe something you are proud of.

This may sound strange but I'm proud of the fact of who I am.  I've had a lot of set backs in my life and I've overcome them to become the person I am today.  I'm proud of the fact that I rose above the hardship in my life and became who I am.  Literally in high school one of my friends was voted most likely to become a roadie.  These were the type of people I hung out with.  I was a mediocre student that no one thought would amount to much.  But here I am, a college graduate, I served in the Army, I've got a great job and I'm financially stable.  Aside from these things it is also amazing that I'm as well adjusted as I am.  I watched my step-dad die of cancer slowly and painfully at the awkward age of 14.  On top of that I was the shy, overweight kid who got picked on in grade school.  In high school I was the guy who didn't give a shit about anything and had a bad attitude and crappy grades.  I was basically one screwed up kid.  But I rose above that and began to make something out of my life, precisely because no one expected that of me.  And when things were going good for me, I lost my wife.  In a moment my plan for life was erased.  And to be honest that almost broke me.  But it didn't and I realize now just how strong I am.  I realized that I can be knocked down, but I can get up, I can be bruised, but not broken.  Not only did I survive, but I prevailed as I'm happy now.  I'm proud of the person I am.

Add another to the completed list!

Every year my work puts a team together for the Polar Plunge.  For those who don't know the Polar Plunge is a fundraiser for Special Olympics where after raising money you basically take a quick dip into some frozen body of water.  Not really sure what the point of it is, other than to watch others suffer, but hey it's for a charity right?  So anyway, every year my work puts a team together and I inevitably will donate cash to one of my co-workers.  This is my way of buying my way out of it.  So one recent cold snowy day downtown Chicago with Jessi she mentions that she wants to do the Polar Plunge one day...long story short I decide to do it.  Now this was one of the things I said no way in Hell would I do, but I got to thinking about bucket lists and living life for new experiences.  I once saw a quote somewhere that said it was better to look back and say "I can't believe I did that" than "I wish I had done that."  Well it was in that spirit that I created a bucket list, so I decided that I should take the Plunge, if for no other reason than to say I did it.

Well as the day approached I tried not to think about it too much, other than to say to myself that it was crazy and that I couldn't believe I was going to do it.  On the day of the Polar Plunge, it finally hit me that I was about to fully submerge myself into water that was barely above freezing.  Luckily that day was the first sunny day we had in a few days, and the temperature was a balmy 37 degrees.  All in all not too bad for a February in Chicago.  So after standing in the cold, wearing a t-shirt and bathing suit for about 20 minutes it was our turn to hit the water.  Apparently our team has one rule..go all in or don't bother going at all.  That means full submersion, underwater, head and all.  So as we got the go ahead I ran into the water, which quickly dropped off from just above my knee to about mid stomach depth.  I quickly dunked myself under water and tried to run out of the water.  I say tried, because by now the shock of the cold water was beginning to set in and I don't think my brain knew what to do about it.  Strangely I didn't notice the water temperature when I first ran in, it wasn't until after I had dunked my head that I realized just how cold the water was.  So after a bit of a struggle with my motor skills, I ran triumphantly from the water and into the heated changing tent.  Total time at the event, about an hour and a half, total time standing around in shorts in the cold, about 20 minutes.  Total time in the water, about 6 seconds.  Was it worth it you ask, I would have to say yes, for the experience and the bragging rights to say I did it.  Would I do it again you ask, probably not.  However...

#64 Do the Polar Plunge

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 9

What defines you?

Let's see, that's an interesting question.  The most obvious answer is my life experiences define me.  Everything from not having a dad around early in life, then gaining a step-dad who was more of a father to me than anyone, then losing him to cancer.  To being the fat kid in school, to being a loner growing up, even my tattoos.  Then there is all the good things, my college experience,  my experience in the Army, and to getting married. Even the bad things, losing my wife to cancer, friends lost over the years, all the painful and sad times.  But then learning to live again and actually having fun doing it.  All of these things, the good, the bad, the fun times, the sad times, the laughter and the pain, they all make me who I am.

Now, outside the obvious answer, what else defines me.  There are two things that come to mind when I think about what someone who just met me would take away and how that person would describe me.

First, I would have to say it would be my sense of humor and fun loving nature.  I love to laugh, joke and have fun, even when the joke is at my expense (as it often is.)  Second, I would have to say it would be the fact that I care deeply for the people in my life and would do anything for them. I actually enjoy giving at Christmas more than getting.  I love to brighten someone's day with some little gesture, just to make them smile.  This is who I am.

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 8

A photo that makes you sad?

Another tough one today, because depending on my mood, some of the pictures of things in my past can either bring a smile to my face remembering the happy memory, or bring a tear to my eye, remembering what I've lost.  As I said in the last post, now that I've come to accept my position in life, as I look back on my photos, they bring a smile to my face, so picking one that makes me sad is tougher to do.  So again I went through my pictures and you know what I found?  I don't have pictures that make me sad, I take pictures of fun, happy events, not sad ones.  That being said I did find a picture, that while taken during a happy, fun moment, when I look at it now I do feel somewhat sad.  First then picture, than I'll explain.

This is a picture taken out at what I think was Durty Nellie's in Palatine with a bunch of friends.  This picture only has about half of my friends that were there that night.  Now what could possibly be sad about this picture you may ask.  No, nothing tragic happened later that night, no fights broke out or anything like that, in fact we all had a fun night, and made it home safely.  This picture makes me sad because it represents a time in my life that is gone for good.  All of the people in this picture are married now (some were at the time) and have kids.  This picture makes me sad because we don't get together like this anymore.  Additionally, I look so much younger in that picture and I acutely feel the time slipping by in my life.  This has always been an issue for me, getting older.  I hate it, because there is so much I long to do and I worry that I'll have time to do it all.  So while this picture doesn't make me break out into tears, it fills me with a sadness, because it won't be like it was here again.

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 7

A photo that makes you happy?

I put a lot of thought into this one.  I'm one of those people who takes a lot of pictures of random stuff, and occasionally I go back over my photos and reminisce about whatever I'm looking at.  Consequently I've got a ton of pictures documenting my life, the good and the bad.  So it is any wonder why I agonized over this post for a while?  There are literally hundreds of pictures that bring a smile to my face and make me happy.  Obviously a lot of them involve my late wife, and while for a while I couldn't even look at those photos, they do now bring a smile to my face because I no longer associate those pictures with loss.  They are now what they were before she died...happy memories.  So the more I sat here and looked through pictures, ones taken long ago and ones taken more recently, I realized that I should pick one that reflects my happiness now.  I've turned to a new chapter in my life and recently became happy again.  While one should never forget or try to erase the past, I also cannot, and do not want to, live in the past, as that chapter has ended.  So I decided to find a picture that was taken more recently, one that I could look at and say to myself "I look happy there" and not only say that, but still feel that happiness as I look at it.  So here is the picture I came up with.

This is a picture of my girlfriend Jessi and I taken at The Hard Rock Chicago a few weeks ago.  Jessi and I decided to stay downtown and accomplish some bucket list items.  This was one of the best weekends I had in longer than I could remember.  Even though I think I look kinda crappy in this picture, it reminds me of this amazing weekend we had.  It was a long road for me to find happiness and what do you know...that light at the end of the tunnel wasn't a freight train after all!  So while I have tons of pictures that bring a smile to my face, this one here not only brings a smile, but makes me happy, for it shows me happy where I am in my life at this moment, and not how I was in the past.

Another weekend, more bucket list items done!

So one of the things I originally put on my bucket list was to visit every local brewery within 150 miles.  Little did I realize just how ambitious this goal was.  I've always been a fan of craft beers, and one of the things I've loved in recent years is the explosion and acceptance of craft beers.  Well this has led to an increased number of micro and now "nano" breweries.  And while a lot of these breweries are actually turning out some great beer, finding them and sometimes even knowing they exist can be a challenge.  It seems every time I check out a new brewery I discover two more, so I'm not making a lot of progress toward accomplishing my goal.  So with that said, I think I will revise my bucket list to visiting every local brewery withing 50 miles.  This seems like something I can accomplish...let's hope!

With that being said, my girlfriend Jessi, who also loves craft beers, had told me about a small local brewery in Mundelein called Tighthead Brewing Company.  Having grown up in Mundelein and working in the town next to it, this seemed like a place I had to check out.  Like a lot of these microbreweries the tap room at Tighthead doesn't serve food, but encourages you to bring food in or have something delivered. I like places like that, not having a food menu lets the establishment concentrate on what it does best, making good beers.    Jessi and I tried the We Be Yammin' (a sweet potato ale,) the Scarlet Fire (red ale,) an oatmeal stout and a porter.  I think our favorites were the porter and the We Be Yammin'.  All in all Tighthead Brewing Company is a must visit for anyone in the area who likes craft beers.

The next day, I suggested a trip up to Milwaukee to visit Lakefront Brewery and go on their tour.  Having been on several brewery tours in the past, they all start to seem the same, because lets face it, the beer making process is fairly standard.  The Lakefront tour is nothing like I've ever been on before!  Part brewery tour, part comedy show, all fun.  For only $7 you get the tour, 4 six ounce samples and at the end you turn in your plastic sample glass for a souvenir pint glass.  How can you pass up a bargain like that?!  Our tour guide, and apparently all the tour guides make this tour anything but boring, and I laughed so much it hurt.  Now for those who don't know, Lakefront is not a large brewery but they are big enough to have their beers available in Chicagoland bars and liquor stores, so I had had some of their beers in the past.  I have to say the beers are pretty good, but not my favorites.  Now admittedly while Lakefront does make several beers, I've only tried a handful of them.  In fact this would be my one complaint about the tour, there were only 5 different beers available for us to try that day.  Typically Jessi and I will each try something different then taste each others, so in theory we could have tried eight different beers that day, but this was not to be.  All in all I would highly recommend this tour, but I think next time we'll do it with a group of friends on a Friday or Saturday night rather than a Sunday afternoon, because I think that on weekend nights it could get pretty rowdy!

So while I didn't get to actually check off anything on my list, I made a few baby steps toward one.

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 6

What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced?

Well this one doesn't require a lot of thought.  Losing my wife to cancer was the worst experience I've ever had to deal with.  Losing her was bad enough, but it wasn't just losing her, it was the whole experience of having someone you love fight and ultimately lose a battle with cancer.  See we were convinced from day one that she would beat this, I mean lots of people do.  It's one of the more treatable kinds of cancer right?!?   That was our outlook.  Even as the cancer began to spread and it seemed the only news we got was bad news, we still figured whatever new bad news was just a minor setback and ultimately she would prevail.  It wasn't until about the last month that I knew this was a battle that we would not win.  That was a special kind of torture, to pray for the end to come quickly, knowing full well what I was praying for was the end of my life in a sense as well.  Once the end did come (quickly thankfully) the hardest part wasn't over, as this was a process.  There was the funeral, then there was going back to work, and starting to clean out the closet and get rid of things, and basically trying to learn to live alone.  This was a long slow, shitty processes that was by far the worst and hardest thing I ever experienced.  Then there was me starting to live again.  Strangely this was the easy part.  I say easy because I never forced it...I let it come when I was ready.  And one day, without realizing it I was ready.  So while this experience was the hardest thing I've had to deal with, and believe me I've dealt with some crappy things in my life, the lesson I came away with is sort of cliche' but it is true...that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger.  This has never been more true in my life, because there were times that I didn't know how I would get by and it would take every ounce of strength just to get out of bed and face the day, but I'm still here.  And you know what...I'm better for it.  I realized the inner strength I possess, and I've learned what is important in life.  I learned to live each and every day to the fullest because you never know when your hourglass will run out of sand.  I've learned to enjoy the moment and not let the little things get to me because ultimate they don't mean shit.  Ultimately, the things that do matter are your friends and family, the ones who were there to pick you up when you falter, the memories you make and the good times you've had, not to mention the future moments that will also be etched into your memories in the days to come.  These are the things that matter.  So while this experience was something I wish I didn't have to go through, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone for that matter, I can at least look back and say that I've grown because of it.  And like all experiences in our lives, good and bad, they define who we are.  I can honestly say that the ray of light in all this is that I came out of it better that I was before.

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 5

What are the 5 things that make you happiest right now?

1. My girlfriend Jessi.  She came into my life at the most perfect moment and what started out as a friendship has grown into something that is amazing.  I find myself thinking about her all the time, missing her when we're not together, and I know my face lights up when I get a call or text from her.  What makes it even more amazing is that she feels the same about me!
2. My friends.  Without their love and support I don't know how I would have been able to find this happiness
3. New experiences.  Everything from trying new foods, new beers or even the occasional "girly drink" (thanks for that one Jessi!) to getting out there and doing something I always wanted to do, and checking things off my bucket list.  These things remind me that I'm OK and I'm really living again and the joy that comes with that always brings a smile to my face.
4. The future.  This one may seem weird, but there was a time when I couldn't even think about the future, as it all seemed so bleak to me.  Over the four or five months I not only realized that not only would I go on with life, but this new life might actually be a good one too! For the first time in a while I am optimistic about my future, whatever it may hold.
5. The fact that I am happy.  This one too may seem strange, or even a cop-out, but it really isn't.  Again, much like my future, there was a time when I figured I would never be actually happy again.  I had gotten to a place where I was no longer feeling sad everyday, but I sure as hell wasn't happy.  I was in this middle place where I had accepted my life had been altered and this was how it would be from now on.  And while I accepted this and wasn't sad or depressed, I still wasn't happy, I was just... neutral.  I figured this would be how I would feel from here on out, just indifferent.  Little did I know that not only would I start to feel a yearning to LIVE again, but in doing so I could actually be happy!

More Bucket List items checked off!

I've always been intrigued by strange foods, as long as they are just odd, not gross!  So one of the things I've heard of was chocolate covered bacon.  Seriously this one should not even be considered strange or odd...I mean it's bacon and chocolate! Two of the most awesome things you can eat, and they are together.  So my girlfriend, who has tried this before decided to get me some bacon chocolate for my birthday along with an extra surprise of beef jerky chocolate.  Ok that one seems a little odd.

95. Eat chocolate covered bacon

96. Eat chocolate covered beef jerky

So last week Jessi asked me if I had tried either one yet, I told her I had not and that part of the fun of having a bucket list was doing the things on them with someone else, even if she had already tried both of these before.  With that said I decided that was the night for me to try these creations.  So I started with the beef jerky chocolate first.  Now I was expecting a hunk of beef jerky covered with chocolate, not so much to my relief.  It was actually a chocolate bar with beef jerky flavoring in it.  I'm not sure if there were little tiny pieces of jerky in the chocolate, but there were little crunchy, slightly salty pieces, so I'm assuming this was the jerky.  Very interesting taste sensation, I have to admit, because this may sound really stupid, but it tasted like a beef jerky flavored chocolate bar.  It tasted exactly like, and nothing like I expected all at the same time.  Strange thing it was actually kind of good, in a strange and interesting way.

Then we moved on to the bacon chocolate.  Again I think I was expecting a strip of crispy delicious bacon covered in chocolate, although this time to my disappointment this was not to be as it was just like the jerky chocolate, a chocolate bar with bits of crispy bacon in it.  Here is the difference though...the bacon chocolate was AWESOME!  Perfect mix of sweet and salty and come on, it's BACON! 

Bottom line is I highly recommend the bacon chocolate, and although it is not something I would buy again, you still should try the jerky chocolate, just for the hell of it!

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 4

List 5 things you would tell your 16 year-old self if you could.

1. None of this shit will be important in 10 years. What you think matters now will be irrelevant.
2. Live life to the fullest and don't sweat the small stuff.  Enjoy this time, because being an adult brings a crap load of responsibility.
3. You do NOT know it all. Those people older than you DO understand what you are going through, they HAVE been there before.
4. Cherish your friends that are your true friends, distance yourself from those who aren't.
5. Don't worry about your math homework...you will NEVER need algebra as an adult!

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 3

What is the greatest amount of physical pain you have ever endured?

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm fairly accident prone, in fact it is very rare that I don't have a bruise somewhere on my body, most likely from running into something.  I've been this way since I was a little kid, not to mention that when I was younger I was pretty fearless (or reckless) and did a lot of dumb shit and would often end up with some bruises or most likely a sprain or some stitches.  Surprisingly I've only broken bones a few times.  The first time was my forearm, the second was my ring finger and the third time was some fractured ribs.  Pretty amazing that I didn't break more but believe me I'm not complaining!  Now for the greatest amount of physical pain I've ever endured...I'd have to say me breaking my ring finger.  Sound funny that a small finger could be the worst out of all the shit I've done, but here's why.  That pain was not only pretty severe at the time, but it also lasted a while because I eventually needed surgery on it, after it healed.  So here is what happened.  When I was about 14 I was skateboarding at my grandparent's house with some friends.  Now I was never a great skateboarder, but I could hold my own.  So here I am on a ramp, and I just lost it for some reason and fell forward, and as I landed my hand was sideways and my forward momentum caused my hand to kind of roll under my body.  I immediately felt this really sharp pain in my hand and when I looked down my ring finger was pointing almost 90 degrees toward my thumb.  It was literally sideways at the knuckle.  I go running inside and my grandpa, who I need to add is NOT a doctor, thinks my finger is just dislocated, so he attempts to "pop it" back into place...bad idea.  So after he did that a couple times without fixing it we decide it's time for the ER so real doctors can fix it.

So after a quick trip to the hospital and some x-rays the doctors tell me its broken (no shit right?) and because I broke it so far down they would need to call in a specialist, who couldn't be there until the morning.  So all they do is wrap my whole hand and cast it, as is, to protect it until the morning.  They give some pain killers and send me home.

The next morning I go back to the hospital where they remove the cast and the doctor comes in.  Now this doctor looked like he was about 90 and had the bedside manner of a brick.  He asks me to hold up my hand, which I do...then he grabs my finger and gives it a yank and twist.  No pain killers, no warning, no nothing.  It was about this point that I began to pass out.  Now when your body is in so much pain that it literally says "fuck this, I'm going to sleep" you know that hurts!  I woke u a few seconds later to the a-hole of a doctor giving the nurse instructions on how to cast it and out the door he goes.

About 6 weeks I get the cast off and I get a good look at my finger and I'm like "what the fuck" my finger is crooked!  Between my knuckle and the next joint my finger has what can best be described as a bend in it, to the point where my fingertip actually overlaps my middle finger completely!  Time to see a specialist.  So I meet with a new doctor who tells me that he can fix it, but it would require surgery where he would cut the bone, twist it, re-position it then put two pins in it to hold it together while it heals.  Ok then, surgery gets done, they cast my entire hand (why everyone put a cast on my entire hand when it was a single finger I'll never know) and about 6 weeks later they remove the cast, but I still have to have my finger splinted and taped to my middle finger for another few weeks, then after that it would be another few weeks until the pins came out.  This was not fun, because there isn't a lot of flesh, muscle or whatever between the bones of your joint and the top of your skin, so every time I bumped my knuckle I could feel the pins and it would hurt like hell.  Half the time it felt like the pins were going to pop through my knuckle.  Not fun.  And after all that my finger is still a bit crooked! Not so bad that it really interferes with anything, but enough to notice.

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 2

Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and describe how they became fears.

1. I'm afraid of heights.  I honestly have no idea how this came to be.  When I was younger I had a slight fear of falling, but not so much that it would really hold me me back from doing things.  It was more just a slight sinking feeling in my stomach when I got too near the edge of something high up I could fall off of.  That was the key...I had to be able to fall, so if I was inside a high rise building, or a glass walled elevator I was was OK, more or less.  I mean hell, when I was 18 I even went bungee jumping so my fear was able to be controlled.  But as I got older my fear got more pronounced, and at times it becomes almost debilitating and I have to literally force my self to climb up something high or go near an edge, and even then the adrenaline and the fear would be almost overwhelming.  I really don't know why this is, because it's not like I ever had some traumatic experience with heights in my past or anything.

2. Fear of failure.  Sounds generic right?  I guess what I mean is that all my life I've had confidence issues, probably stemming from being shy and somewhat withdrawn as a child.  Sometimes this lack of confidence will cause me to stay in my comfort zone and avoid taking risks in life.  I think this is why I'm so determined to get working on my bucket list.  Sometimes it is too easy to stay in a place that you are comfortable, even though you may not be fully happy, than to take a chance and risk failure.  I've worked hard to break out of that mold and start taking risks and not worry about the possibility of failure, but I still sometimes worry that I will regress from time to time.

3. The unknown future.  This is a new one for me.  I think this is because up to about two years ago I had a plan for my future.  Once that all changed, and my plan was basically erased, I had to get used to the idea of the unknown, and for me that is a little scary.  But as I've adjusted to this new life, I've tried to not let the unknown be something that scares me, but rather something to embrace as exciting and open to all possibilities. 

So as you can see I'm trying to overcome some of my fears, but it is a process and I'm sure I will stumble from time to time. 

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 1

List 10 Random Facts about yourself.

1. I'm an only child
2. I have two middle names
3. I have 3 tattoos (currently)
4. I have zero relationship with my father who I barely know since my parents divorced when I was a small child.
5. I love music
6. I'm a pretty damn good cook
7. I'm afraid of heights
8. I'm a huge Chicago Blackhawks fan
9. I'm completely shy and insecure when I'm out of my comfort zone
10. I love craft beer and whiskey

Ok, so that actually took longer than I thought it would.  Seemed so simple when I started but after the first 3 I had to start really thinking.  Oh well, day 1 done.  

The 30 Day Blog Challenge

When I first started this blog, one of the things that I struggled with (and continue to) is figuring out what to blog about.  I've had some suggestions from my girlfriend, hence the posts I've actually came up with, but then I came across a 30 day blog challenge.  Actually I came across a ton of them, and I found several that seemed interesting, so I decided "what the hell."  Problem was I found several that had some great blog ideas, so I created my own list and picked the ones that I knew were applicable to me and I knew would foster an interesting (sort of ) post. Now I'm sure this will take more than 30 days, because sometimes I just don't feel like sitting in front of my computer, but here is the list.

Day 1: List 10 random facts about yourself.
Day 2: Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and describe how they became fears.
Day 3: What is the greatest amount of physical pain you have ever endured?
Day 4: List 5 things you would tell your 16 year-old self if you could.
Day 5: What are the 5 things that make you happiest right now?
Day 6: What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced?
Day 7: A photo that makes you happy?
Day 8: A photo that makes you sad?
Day 9: What defines you?
Day 10: Describe something you are proud of.
Day 11: What are your pet peeves?
Day 12: Favorite band and why?
Day 13: Describe 5 weaknesses you have.
Day 14: Describe 5 strengths you have.
Day 15: If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
Day 16: What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?
Day 17: What is the thing you most wish you were great at?
Day 18: Someone or something you couldn't live without?
Day 19: If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?
Day 20: Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.
Day 21: If you could have 1 superpower, what would it be and what would be the first thing you did with it?
Day 22: Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?
Day 23: Something you wish you hadn't done in life?
Day 24: Describe your first job.
Day 25: If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?
Day 26: Have you ever considered giving up on life, if so why?
Day 27: Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days?
Day 28: Something you wish you had done in life?
Day 29: What were your three favorite toys/games as a child?
Day 30: List 5 things you would hope to be remembered for.

More bucket list items checked off!!!

What an amazing weekend I had!  That friend that I recently become closer with and with whom I planned to drag along my bucket list adventure, has now grown into something even better.  For me it was a series of stumbling baby steps as I tried to remember what it was like to date again, and I'm so glad she is such a patient and amazing person for putting up with my silly bullshit.  Anyway after a few mildly awkward moments on my part, things started going very well and I realized that not only am I starting to live again, but that I'm actually happy.  I think I had forgotten what happiness felt like, not that I was always miserable or sad, but it was more just a feeling of indifference as if I was just coasting along.  Now I that I remember what happiness feels like, it makes doing these bucket list things even more amazing.

So anyway, one night we were talking (texting actually) about things downtown that we wanted to do and she casually mentioned that one night we should just stay downtown, so we could do a bunch of stuff off our bucket lists.  Well, no sooner did I agree with her, I was on the internet looking at booking a room at the Hard Rock Chicago, a place listed on Jessi's bucket list as somewhere she wanted to stay.  After finding an amazing last minute room deal, I suggested we plan an overnight excursion for the upcoming weekend.  Crazy, I know for two people who only recently started officially dating, but than again that is the type of people we are.  We both like adventure and and are somewhat free spirits who live in the moment, so it didn't come as much of a surprise when Jessi said she was up for  it.  So anyway, now it's back on me to plan the afternoon / night.  After combing through our individual bucket lists I came up with a plan.  Again, big on the planning, but short on the details, but screw it, that's how I am.  I decided we would try to go ice skating again, but if that failed, I had a back up plan.  Also, one of the things on her list was to eat dinner in Little Italy, and I wanted to have drinks at the Signature Room on the 96th floor of the Hancock Building.

So with this general plan, we set out for the city.   Of course before we even left, I realized the weather would once again not cooperate as it was cold as shit out!  Cancel ice skating...again.  No worries, revert to plan B, the Shedd Aquarium.  Luckily The Shedd was open this time.  I didn't mention in my earlier post that after Jessi and I went to the Skydeck, we attempted to go to the aquarium only to find it closed, forcing us to check out the incredibly dull planetarium, at which we still had fun because it was so dull!  Well anyway this time we were lucky and found it to be open.  So after watching the beluga whales swim, now I have to steal another one of Jessi's bucket list items - swim with beluga whales.

After the aquarium and a long cold walk to find a cab, seriously it's the city of Chicago, the aquarium was closing, you think there would have been some cabs nearby, but NOOOO.  After finding a cab and just barely avoiding frostbite, we made our way back to the hotel to change for dinner.  Now I didn't make any dinner reservations (that's a detail issue) mainly because I didn't want to lock us into a dinner time, and I had picked three different restaurants, all of which were within a block or two of each other.  So I pick the first one that comes to mind and we hop in a cab.  Once we got there I saw reservations might have been a good idea, but we were able to be seated in the bar area immediately.  As I look around I realized the restaurant was perfect, cozy, a little dark, not too loud, kinda romantic.  Then came the food...largest piece of lasagna I had ever seen, but also the best tasting I've ever had.  So dinner was a HUGE success!

#103. Eat at an Italian restaurant in Little Italy

After that it was time for drinks at The Signature Room on the 96th floor of the Hancock building.  Another short cab ride, and a quick elevator to the top and we were there.  No line, and we were able to immediately get a table, not on the glass though, bummer.  We still were able to take in the AMAZING night time views of the city as we both started sampling their specialty drinks.  I don't think we were there for longer than ten minutes and Jessi stated that we had to come back again as this was most probably the coolest place to have a drink.  Now anyone thinking of going I must warn you, it's the city of Chicago...drinks in the city are expensive...this is no exception.  Keep in mind though you are not just paying for the drinks but the the atmosphere as well, and when taken all together it is so worth going to.

#54. Drinks at the Signature Room

Now I know I don't have any pictures of the view, but I wanted to make sure I got really good ones, and since we weren't sitting right on the windows, I decided to wait until next time.

The next morning as we were checking out of the hotel, Jessi noted a photo booth in the lobby, so sure enough... #65. Take silly photos w/ someone in a photo booth.

All in all it was one of the most amazingly fun weekends I've had in longer than I can remember and we are already making plans to go back!  Thanks Jessi...you are AMAZING and I'm so glad you came into my life at the perfect moment!!!!

Road to a half marathon

So apparently I'm not an invincible teenager anymore.  It seems all the running I did last summer took a bit of a toll on my body.  In the past I've had shin splints, and for anyone who doesn't know what they are, it basically feels like the muscle running down the front of your shin is literally tearing in half as you take as step. Luckily, shin splints are treatable and with a little ice, rest, Advil and some stretching they go away.  Needless to say as I began running more and more I was very careful to take preventive measures to make sure I didn't get them again.  Well back in late July, 2012 I was running a 5k with a friend of mine, and although we had run in practice together and even done some of the same races, this was the first time her and I actually ran together during a race.  Oh, I forgot to mention that the two of us are VERY competitive, and this particular race was organized through our work, so we had a bunch of friends and coworkers there at the finish line.  Now as we neared the finish line I noticed that we both began to pick up our pace a bit...I don't even know if it was initially a conscious decision, but there was no way in hell I was going to let her finish even one inch ahead of me!  The last tenth of a mile were almost at a full sprint, and by the time I crossed the finish line, ahead of her, we were at a full sprint.  Well I noticed the next day a slight pain in my right shin, but it didn't exactly feel like shin splints, as this was more of minor ache.  Anyway as time went on, and more races were run, this minor ache became more pronounced, still not painful, but definitely more noticeable.  So to play it safe, I started treating it like shin splints, icing, Advil, etc. etc, I even took a bit of time off of training in between races.  So as time went on the discomfort didn't go away and started to move into slightly painful, but it still didn't feel like shin splints, as it didn't bother me when I was running, but it would ache when I was just sitting, not even moving.  Then a coworker suggested it might be a stress fracture, which now started to concern me, as I've got a bunch of runs planned for the upcoming year, so finally in early January 2013 I met with a doctor.  Now the good news, apparently I one of the approximately 13% of the population who has a foot structure that pretty much guarantees me shin splints.  It seems that all the treatment I did only prevented the discomfort from becoming pain.  Basically I was told I couldn't run for 3 weeks and I would need to run with custom shoe inserts to hold my foot into a position that won't completely fuck up my shins.  Not great news, but at least it wasn't a stress fracture  So like any typical male, I blew off the part about not running for three weeks as I already had a 5k scheduled for the following weekend.  And besides if it wasn't a stress fracture, and I've been running on it for the last five months, what's another week?  But after that run I did follow his advice (sort of) and didn't run for about 2 and a half weeks.  Now I've been cleared to start running again, and rewarded myself with a easy jog of 3.1 miles.  While running I thought to myself "damn, I missed this" while at the same time I also thought "why the hell am I doing this?"  Should be an interesting year...stay tuned.