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Published: February 10th 2006
Still writing haiku
Will be one of the last ones
Time to write a book?
Wow, I started this blog over a year ago. Sadly (or maybe for some "thank goodness" haha) I must tell you that I have decided that this will be my very last entry for this blog. But not before telling you about what I've been up to since my last entry. Well, the most exciting would be my time in Chicago and the silliness of the Festive Season that is upon us. Here goes...
Chicago - Saturday, December 3 to Sunday December 11, 2005
Saturday, December 3rd. Navigate the roads
So many highways and tolls
You missed the turn off!
Our flight from Seattle to Chicago was delayed because of the weather in Chicago so we (my sister Laura and I) were a bit concerned that the car rental place would be closed by the time we arrived in Chicago. But for some strange miracle the pilots managed to make up some time in the air and landed we landed only about 10 minutes later than scheduled. Not that we noticed since both Laura and I pretty much slept throughout the flight. I
Dream come true for Laura.
The Whitecastle experience.
December 3, 2005.guess since we left home around 4AM! Laura wanted to leave earlier rather than later since you never know what the road conditions would be like since snow was in the forecast.
We first stopped by Wal Mart to shop around a bit and kill some time. Hallelujah for 24 hour operations! We also grabbed some breakfast...gotta love those McD's biscuits that you can't get back home. 😊 We drove a bit more and ended up at Joann's so that Laura could finally use her coupon that she never gets to use. Doh! What she wanted to buy was already on sale. lol
By this time it was close to 9AM. Plenty of time to check in, pass through security and pick up something for lunch. I was surprised to see that the prices for food was not super elevated like most airports you visit.
Anyhoo, once we got to Chicago, picked up our car and drove to the hotel, it was about 8PM. Wow, where'd the time go? We settled in and checked out the hand drawn map the hotel provided to us to see what Darien had to offer. Laura seemed to zone in on
White Castle so there was no question where we would be going for dinner. lol Check! One thing off of Laura's things she wants to do in her lifetime. Who knew?
Sunday, December 4th. Shopping day today
The outdoor mall is chilly!
Didn't buy too much stuff.
The haiku pretty much sums up the day. Nothing very exciting to report but it was fun while it was happening. 😊 We did manage to check out some great stores we don't have at home which was cool yet I managed to not buy too much. Which is very good in my books, especially my pocket book? haha I did manage to pick up a few craft supplies (I know, I know, like i need a hole in my head!) and a few small Christmas gifts too.
There were a few funny moments on the road like the truck and trailer with the dead deer on the back or just being goofy singing along to songs we hadn't heard in years. Or just plain silliness that seems to happen. Good times...
Monday, December 5. Jerry Springer Show
Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! The
Fists are flying now!
Today we
have tickets to a live taping of the Jerry Springer Show. How exciting! We don't have to get to the NBC Studios until about 2PM so we started off the day pretty slow. We were hoping to check out some neat things at this Textile Warehouse place I saw posted on the internet but it turned out to be a bit of a dud for us. Then we went to lunch at Uno's Pizzeria for lunch. Gotta try the deep dish Chicago style pizza when in Chicago...Delish! And since our brother Vic is also a fan of food we couldn’t help ourselves and picked up a half baked and frozen pizza to take home with us. 😊
Before we knew it, it was time for us to head on over to the NBC Studios to sign in and pick up our tickets to Jerry. There were at least two or three security people that asked to look at our shirts. I must explain that when I got the call from the Jerry Springer Show about attending a taping, they told me the dress code: no printed or logo t-shirts, no cut offs and no flannel. I guess Jerry has
standards too! lol
Once we got our tickets we had to stand in line to go through the security screening area. I swear there was more security in place than the airport! I guess they're worried that someone might throw things or pull a knife or something??
From the security line up we were taken to the second floor waiting area where there was a TV on. First we were subjected to Passions (cheesy soap opera) and then Ellen. We were finally taken into the chilly Studio around 3:20. I was so cold sitting there since we were asked to take off our coats and place them under our seats. We were seated on the extreme right (when facing the stage) near one of the big cameras. This is the area where Jerry walks on and off of the stage.
While we were waiting they were playing some footage from the "Jerry Springer" unplugged...too hot for television videotape series. Man there was some pretty bad stuff on that reel. I wonder if our taping will make it to the uncut version?!?
Todd who seems to run the show (perhaps his title is stage manager??) is just
At the United Centre in Chicago.
It looks like I have no neck in this picture!
December 7 2005. hilarious. He came out on stage to give us a few pointers like don't yell out things at inappropriate times and stuff like that. He was feeding lines to the audience and also the one that gets the crowd going or to quiet down.
Before we knew it Jerry was out on the stage to do a little stand up. Then the taping began. Topic..."My girlfriend turned out to be my sister!" Yikes! My guess of incest as the topic was correct. Sometimes is it not good to be correct. lol
Attending the taping of a Jerry Springer show felt so surreal to me that it almost felt like a really bad dream. Pinch me! haha Of course it didn't take too long for the fighting to begin when the male guest’s older sister that raised him came out. She was really trying to beat him to a pulp. Then it got worse when the feisty girlfriend/sister came out and the older sister was pretty feisty as well. Fists were flying every where. Hair was being pulled. The
Course completed!
Laura and her instructor (I think Sue??) with a certificate of completion of yummy things to eat.
December 9, 2005. girlfriend/sister kept falling out of her tank top so boobs were flying around everywhere as well. lol
There were quite a few comments from the crowd like..."is your family tree missing some branches?" The more comments that were being thrown about, the more crazy it started to get in the studio. Even the guests wanted to not only verbally throw back a retort but they wanted to physically attack the audience as well! Thank goodness for Steve and his security team!
There was this one moment where a shorter, chubbier guy from the audience got up and made some comment. Then Todd gets the audience to start chanting "Take it off." So this guy pulls off his shirt and starts dancing and flashes his butt...My eyes! Then Todd gets the audience to chant "Go to the Pole" And then this guy does some pole dancing and more flashing. EW!!!! My eyes! It was one of those moments that is gross to watch yet you can’t take your eyes off of it. lol
It was also just madness with girls flashing their boobs for beads...even this really old woman (I'm guessing in her 50's). EW!!! Yet again…my eyes!
Fun with boxes.
Nick amusing himself with some computer boxes. To be 10 years old again!
December 12, 2005. Overall the surreal experience of the whole taping of the Jerry Springer Show was very entertaining. Hey, can't really complain when the tickets were free! lol At the end of the show we got to shake Jerry's hand and also took a picture with Steve, the head of security. Hopefully Oprah will not be away in Africa the next time I am in Chicago. lol
Tuesday, December 6. Bitter, bitter cold
Chattering teeth and cold ears.
I need some earmuffs.
During the day Laura had her chocolate making course while I just hung around the hotel doing some crafty things. Before I knew it, Laura was home and showing me all of the goodies that she made in class - chocolate pretzels, truffles, coloured chocolates, molded chocolates, peanut butter chocolates and more! Delish!
After a bit of a rest for Laura, we headed over to the Chicago Premium Outlets for some more shopping. Boy was it cold outside. 6 degrees Fahrenheit! Yikes. After seeing what Laura came back with from class and then the bit of shopping that we did tonight I foresee some pretty stuffed bags coming back to Vancouver!
Wednesday, December 7. Easygoing
The Osler Elementary Percussion Section
Nick and his percussion buddies after the Christmas Concert. Nick is on the very right.
December 13, 2005. day
TV, knitting, papercrafts
Too cold to go out.
Chicago Black hawks
Playing against the Rangers
Who will win the game?
Today Laura started her 3 day cookies and pastries class. Day one covered things like lollipop cookies, gingerbread and giant decorated cookies.
Then in the evening we headed into town to watch the Chicago Blackhawks play against the New York Rangers at the United Center. It was a pretty low scoring game that went into overtime. The Blackhawks were able to pull off a 2-1 victory over the Ranger in the end. I must admit being a Canucks fan it wasn't as exciting to watch the hockey game since I only recognized one player (Jagr of the Rangers) but I did have lots of fun while there. Mind you I did take a liking to the Blackhawks nickname for the goalie…The Bulin Wall. lol
Thursday, December 8. Snow is falling now
three to six inches proposed
I sense snowball fight!
The haiku pretty much sums up the day. Lots of snow. Stayed in. Laura's classmate from Japan spent the evening with us watching some television.
Friday, December 9. Cheesecake Factory
Had lots to
Cookies for the Cure.
Laura baked up a whole bunch of thank you cookies for her Cook for the Cure event. Contact me if you want to place orders. lol
December 16, 2005. eat for dinner
I need to belch now.
It was another relaxing day for me while Laura was busy creating lots of yummy goodies at her class. We decided to go out for a nice dinner since we were getting tired of making stuff to eat in our little kitchenette in our room. But I must say we have been quite resourceful with the small kitchenette that we have. It is amazing how many different things you can make with just a toaster, microwave and a couple of burners. Plus we didn't really want to buy too many more groceries for just a couple more days here in Chicago so eating out sounded like a really good idea. We headed over to the Cheesecake Factory for some delish food…once again, ate too much!
Holy cow there are huge portions served up at the Cheesecake Factory. We took lots of food home and had to pass on dessert which was a bit disappointing but the mashed potatoes that I had with my meal was so yummy it was worth it to miss out on dessert. I guess it wasn't too disappointing to miss out on dessert since Laura came
More cookies.
Laura made these awesome lollipop cookies in her class in Chicago. Look pretty nice. Once again I'm taking orders!
December 16, 2005. home from class with so many cookies, cream puffs and other pastries to eat. 😊
After ingesting mass quantities of food we rolled out of the Cheesecake Factory and decided to have an easy going night of browsing the shelves of the local Barnes & Noble. It's a great way to spend a quiet evening.
Saturday, December 10. Shopping in Gurnee
Crazy Christmas shoppers here
Let's blow the budget!
Okay, so I didn't go crazy and blow my budget at the mall but I did pick up lots of stuff at Archiver's which is an awesome scrapbooking store. 😊
Laura bought more than I did...let's just say that she had to acquire a new piece of luggage to accommodate her purchases! lol
The mall was pretty quiet when we arrived in the morning but by the time we were ready to leave mid-afternoon it was just swarming with people. There were too many people for my liking. It was a good thing that by this time we were ready to head on out of there because it is definitely not fun shopping with so many people getting in your way and having to wait in
Nick sleeps over.
December 17, 2005. really long line ups.
As you can probably guess, we spent a good part of the evening packing our bags. lol
Sunday, December 11. Westward bound today
Catch a plane to Seattle
Then a short drive North.
Sardine-like seating
Cramped seats. NO snacks. No movie.
Worst airline ever.
8 days in Chicago sure did pass by quickly. It was pretty enjoyable doing a bit of shopping, relaxing and sightseeing this past week and it is hard to believe that Christmas is only two weeks away....
Oh and I definitely do not recommend flying with American Airlines if you are claustrophobic. I swear, of all of the airlines that I have flown in the past year this would have to be the worst one in terms of comfort onboard the plane. And did I mention there were no snacks served? Not even a little bag of peanuts or pretzels! lol
Two weeks before Christmas. December 12 to 25.
Another week gone
Eating. Visiting. Shopping.
Where does the time go?
I seriously don't know where all of my time goes! The first week after coming back from Chicago I had so many things that I
wanted to accomplish but barely made a dent in my list of things "to do". This has made me think that I have the adult form of ADD. So I think that one of my New Year's resolution for 2006 will be to FOCUS. lol
Anyhoo, some highlights of the week include. Making more video clips with my nephew Nick. Taking Margaret out for lunch for her Birthday and then seeing and catching up with some people where I was working last year. Organizing some photos. Setting up my new computer. Not one but TWO Christmas concerts. (The first concert was at my nephew's school and the second concert at my niece's school.) Hmm, I can't really think of much else that I did...what did I do with my time??
I do know that on the 17th Laura had her huge Cook for the Cure/Waffle Party for a bajillion of her friends and coworkers. So I was busy chatting with lots of people and was the official unofficial photographer for the party. I'm not sure how many people but my sister says that about 80 or 90 people stopped by. I do know that the first guests arrived
just before 10AM and the last guest left close to 4:30PM. Many of these guests I have not seen since the big Waffle party last year so of course many of them were curious about my travels this past year. I swear I never get tired of telling people of my travels and it is amazing that I don't repeat myself too many times...or at least I hope I don't! Plus it was really nice to find out what people have been up to the last year as well. Plus there were so many babies and young kids in attendance this year. Always fun to play with the kids! Plus it was great to find out that about $800 was raised for the Canadian Breast Cancer Association.
After a bit of a nap I was all refreshed and ready to head on over to Grace's house for a little get together she invited me to. It was nice to meet some new people and all the while munching away on some really yummy snacks. This was definitely a great way to spend the evening.
Then the week before Christmas went by just as quickly. Sunday I spent with
my two sisters Yvonne and Lainie. We did a bit of shopping south of the border. Well, I should really say that they did some shopping and I just tagged along because I definitely did not spend more than $25 including my two meals!
Monday I went with my parents to have dim sum with my Aunt Kathy and Uncle Bob to celebrate my mom's birthday...two days early. Plus they would not be able to make it over to our house for Christmas Eve celebrations at our house. It was nice to catch up with them since this was the first time I'd had a chance to meet up with them since coming back to Vancouver in November! My how time flies. It was so nice to be able to catch up with them all the while enjoying some yummy dim sum.
The rest of the week was pretty much a blur. Lots of baking....namely whipped shortbread, mmm! Out to lunch with my sister Lainie and niece Jacqueline. We also did a little bit of shopping while downtown which was fun and surprisingly not too busy either! I finally got out some Christmas, or rather New Year's cards
put into the mail. My friend Anita came into town on Thursday evening and before I knew it Christmas Eve was upon us!
Christmas Eve. It's become an annual tradition for as long as I can remember that my mom has had a big party with all of the aunts, uncles, cousins and a few friends too. So much food consumed, it is not funny. As per usual it was nice to see the relatives that we don't get much of a chance to see (even though we all live in the lower mainland!) and just catch up, eat and be merry.
My friend Anita grew up in Victoria so on Christmas morning we hopped onto a ferry bound for Victoria to visit with some of her relatives. It was so nice to be greeted at the ferry terminal in Swartz Bay by Anita's sister Jen and some sunshine too! We did the usual rounds and boy were there some interesting moments. I won't go into too much detail here but all I'll say is that there will be lots of jokes about building rocket ships, asteroids, chaos and high standards for many years to come! Visiting Auntie
Nick being put to work.
We need more batter pronto!
December 17, 2005. Mui is always my favourite not only because of all of the delish baking that she does (she's the creator of the oh so yummy Chips Amoi. haha) but because she is such a happy person. I can’t believe that she is now 75 years old. It was a pretty rushed day over in Victoria since we caught the ferry back to Vancouver with Jen and Nick on the same day. Even with the back breakingly uncomfortable chairs on the ferry we had a pretty smooth sailing back to Vancouver. Perhaps watching some episodes of Seinfeld on my portable DVD player helped to pass the time while sailing back to Vancouver.
The last couple of days I've spent enjoying lots of good eats and laughs with Anita, Jen, Nick and their cousins Camilo and Joyce. Oh yeah, I guess I spent a bit of time with Anita's brother Brian and Florence too. 😊 We have been crazy enough to brave some of the crazy parking lots and crowds the last couple of days to check out some of the Boxing Week sales. I am happy to report I have not picked up anymore useless stuff especially since I got
Dinner at the Cannery.
Yvonne and Barb.
December 22, 2005. rid of four garbage bags full of clothes and bags last week!
I still can't believe that it is one year ago to the day that I was stepping onto a plane bound for Vietnam. So much has happened in that time. (But I guess those of you that have been reading the blog this past year know all about my adventures…) I have seen, experienced, eaten and not to mention taken tons of photos of some places that I have always dreamt of seeing in my lifetime. Plus there are all of the wonderful people I met and met up with along the way from every corner of the World. Needless to say, I have had an awesome time. (I still can't get away from that word awesome! I guess it just describes everything in the best way in just one word.) I'm thankful for this past year and will treasure and remember every single moment...especially right now before I start job hunting in the New Year! LOL
One last haiku:
Time to start afresh
Writing up resolutions
Happy New Year all!
I hope to keep in touch with you all.
Lots of Love and Hugs,
Dinner at the Cannery.
Jen and Bon
December 22, 2005. Bonz
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Robyn
non-member comment
They just keep comin'! Thanks