a day in the life

New year, new challenges

// January 3rd, 2010 // No Comments » // Blogging, Cycling, Health

Dropping off the tree for recycling today was the realization that Christmas and the holidays are over and the beginning of a new year is upon us. The worst thing about the holidays is that it seems that so many are so consumed with finding an purchasing the perfect gift that few take the time to savor the what’s really important. By the time they do, they’re back to the same old grind wondering where the break has gone. I’ve been guilty of doing this very thing myself in the past.

The holidays were pretty low-key for Meg and I but it was very enjoyable because of it. We had little obligation and much down time. We spent time together but also got to have our moments of alone time. Overall, I think that neither one of us would have changed a thing.

Of course part of the changing of the year is a chance for renewal. I’ve vowed to workout more (as countless others have also done). I’m in the process of paying for a new road bike to help with this process. I’ve also taken upon the responsibility of updating this blog weekly as part of Project 52, for which I have Christina Warren to thank for my introduction to the project. I would say that I will try to follow through with my contributions to this project but — with the words of a 900yr old Muppet echoing in my head — I will do, not do not.

Wish me luck.

A hell of a Maday

// September 18th, 2009 // No Comments » // Current Events

This has been one hell of a day plus.

For those who haven’t heard: prisoner Robert Maday was on his way up to court in Arlington Heights yesterday for arraignment on a bank robbery charge from last year. One his way up to court, he managed to get free and overcome one of the officers assigned to him. He then forced the driver over to the side of the road, forced his captors to unshackle him and then restrained and locked the both of them in the back of their own car. He then drove the car to the Meijer by our house, bought some clothes, and then would up carjacking another car, which he abandoned 2 blocks from our condo.

Upon learning of these events, many officers then descended upon our neighborhood (across the steet on Goebert), assault rifles loaded. The eventually turned up nothing.

On my way home the radio was relaying that the intersection of Algonquin and Arlington Hts. Rds. were closed off. So I was was wondering if I’d even get home much less wondering what kind of state I would find when getting there. Avoiding the intersection altogether, I took my usual Batcave way home and found only a few officers straggling behind. The drama (at least then) seemed over.

Thinking that Maday may still be in the area, we locked down everything we could and had quite the restless night.

I woke this morning to a WGN news bulletin stating that someone matching Maday’s description had carjacked another car (a grey Jetta) just north of where I work. Needless to say this was a bit surreal since this guy had been near both places where I spend the better part of my day. On top of this, I came to learn from Meg yesterday that this is the same guy who held her up at her bank last year.

So I get to work and find that there are at least 3 choppers circling the area looking for Maday. About 45 mins later (following the news feeds) we learn that he’s robbed another bank, this one in Bloomingdale (one he had also robbed last year) by Stratford Square.

Listening to the live feeds of the helicopter reporters over the Internet only complicated matters. Was he heading east on Lake St. toward 355 or Addison? Did he jack another car (a Chrysler 300)? Was he headed to St. Charles?

Discussions around the office predicted that Maday would go out in a blaze of glory considering that he stated that he never wanted to go back to prison. Luckily, this never came to pass.

Around noon, I got an IM from Meg stating that Maday had been caught after having crashed the jacked Jetta in West Chicago. It was ironic that it came down this way as I had mentioned shortly before this to my co-worker that I had a feeling that he’d be caught by doing something stupid. I even mentioned that someone would spot him and that a cop a few blocks away would respond. It didn’t come down exactly like that but it was a pretty accurate prediction.

So the drama is now over and Maday is back in custody (shackled ala Hannibal Lecter, I would assume) and hopefully, things can return to normal on the suburban streets.

I don’t feel the least bit sorry for Maday. I do feel for the people that lost something today, however. The dental assistant whose car was totaled, the father who suffered whiplash when Maday clipped his car in the high-speed chase to the end, and the home owner whose property was torn up by the tangled mess that was once the stolen car. Who’s going to help these people out? Those are the endings of the story you never hear about.

El-e-va-tion

// September 14th, 2009 // No Comments » // Concerts

U2 was amazing last night. It was the first time I’ve seen them and also the first time I had really experienced a ’stadium concert’. I’ve seen Plant/Page, Mc Cartney, No Doubt, and the Purple Midget but those shows have mostly been within the confines of a concert venue or inside an arena. Nothing short of maybe a Pink Floyd concert would have prepared me for what we saw last night.

The concert was set up in a typical theatre-in-the round with the stage slightly off-center from mid-field. Above the stage: a giant canopy of speakers, lights and video screens. If you think Soldier Field looks like a space ship from the outside, the stage made it look as if the aliens had come home to roost.

One thing that was very clear is that Bono loves Chicago. U2 chose Chicago as the opening act of their new tour, they referenced the city and locations within several times in the songs, and even had Chicago-themed merchandise at the concessions (in Bears colors, of course). The most expensive item being a customized Bears-looking football jacket clocking in at $200.

The set list was a mix of classics and a number of new songs from ‘No Line on the Horizon’. The show lasted over 2 hours and left me wanting more. I was disappointed that Pride didn’t make an appearance. You can’t have everything, though. Would I go again? Definitely! Would I break down and get that jacket the next time? Ummm… probably not.

Plug-ins are fun

// September 11th, 2009 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Now that I’ve found out what the problem is with the remnants from the old template (too many active widgets), I’m having fun searching for and adding new plug-ins to the page. Now maybe I should write something profound… nah!

Rockin’ the 2.8

// September 11th, 2009 // No Comments » // Blogging

I’ve got to hand it to WordPress: the new version of their software (2.8) is really nice and pretty easy to use. Along with this new template from WooThemes I might actually fool someone into thinking that I actually know what I’m doing. Now if I can figure out how to take out the ancient stuff and sections that I don’t want on my page, I may actually have something that I’d be proud to maintain.

Now how do I minimize the gargantuan archive list?