Category: everyday life

And While I Am On That Topic…

I recently read Steven King’s 11-22-63. Steven King is not “my” author (and not out of any snobbishness, just not mine). I took on this reading because it was recommended by a friend whom I usually trust in book recommendations. While it’s still not “my” book and not a book “about me,” I really liked it and enjoyed reading from the very first to the very last page.

Firstly, I really enjoyed it as an excellent piece of literature ( And now, I won’t be able to read ok-ish books for a while :)) Second, (and that’s why I decided to write about it today) – I find the whole sci-fi part of it very realistic. The theme of “the past does not want to be changed” resonates with me on many levels.

Never in my life have I wished that “something didn’t happen” or “if only I could go back and correct something.” I know that everything that happened before today made me the person I am now, and it is often impossible to tell what won’t happen if I do things “properly” at some point in my life. I am so sure that correcting the past can’t work that I never had even a temptation to think about it.

On the other hand, as much as I am always in control of my life and know that things won’t happen by themselves if I don’t make them happen, I also recognize when the Universe does not want something to happen.  

My London trip cancellation was a perfect example. I didn’t have COVID before, even when I was in the presence of clearly infected people, so having it from an unknown source right before my trip was a sign :). And then, when I started to calculate the dates and try to figure out whether I could still make it, came a loud and clear “no.” As much as I dreaded clicking the “Cancel the Entire Trip” button, that’s what it meant to be. 

My Trip To London…

It is not going to happen after all, and that’s one of these situations when the universe tells me loud and clear that I should not. I feel fine, and I didn’t have any fever today, but my test was still positive (which was expected, to be honest).

I was thinking about whether I would still be able to go, having all the dates and guidelines, when I need to test, and so on, but today, my mom tested positive (which is in perfect alignment with when I think was my first day sick).

Having this, and having that she does not understand what the symptoms could be and she does not understand what isolation means, I am afraid to leave.

Oh, well. I hope that things will not be that bad with her.

So, I Had Grand Plans…

And the funny story is that I accomplished a huge portion of what I planned for this long weekend, except for – I tested positive today. The only reason I decided to test myself was that I had a fever, and I usually do not get it.

Now, I am wondering whether I have already had it on Sunday. I know it would be super weird if I did Bike the Dive with COVID, but I had a little bit of a runny nose for two days before that, and I felt a little bit not myself when I woke up for Bike the Drive, but then everything was perfect.

Now the biggest question is whether I am flying to London on Saturday. It would be five days since, but I am going to keep testing myself and see whether I will get any more symptoms.

Also, it’s my first anniversary at my company, so I was hoping to be at work, and it’s super sad that I won’t be there.

Well, it could definitely be worse!

Bike The Drive

My second Bike the Drive, and this year, I signed up for the 30-mile challenge, knowing that it would mean 36 miles for me (adding 3 miles each way to the closest entrance).

I am very happy with my results. I didn’t have to push myself; the whole ride was “within my abilities.” I was a little bit worried about the heat, but I was able to finish before it became really hot.

Excluding the wait at the start and two stops, my active biking time was 3 hours, which means 12 mph on average, including the city biking, and I hit 14 mph and even 15.2 mph on some 1-mile splits.

I didn’t like the main rest stop and the activities which were offered there. I liked the breakfast even less than last time. And I liked the MSI rest stop a lot: with plenty of boxed water, fruit and healthy snacks freely available, with the music, and with the sense of unity that was somehow missing at the main event. I think that next year, I am not going to pay for breakfast, and I am not even going to stop at the main event, and I will have a longer stop at the MSI.

I still didn’t find my photo on the event site, but I will keep trying :).

Five minutes before start
At MSI rest stop
Continue reading “Bike The Drive” →

Weekend Plans

The long weekend has started, and I have a lot of plans for it! I am finally not three weeks behind on everything, and I want to make the most out of it.

In some sense, it feels like the beginning of the new year: one more time, I want to make an effort and be more assertive about which things are really important to me and make sure I have time for them. And not to let things drop.

:)

On Tuesday, I was on a very crowded train on my way back home (who is still saying people are not back to the office?!). The conductor walked into our car, and walking all the way through the car, he was saying: Take out your phones, open your apps, let’s make it quick. When he reached the other end of the car, he turned back and said: And now, everybody, raise your phones!

Everybody laughed and raised their phones, and he waved: OK, everybody’s fine!

Girls’ Weekend – Sunday

Just a couple of days before the weekend, Vlad called me and said that he was going to be in Chicago on Sunday. He had a work event on Tuesday but decided to come earlier to catch up with friends and family. Because of that, our beach day was naturally divided into two parts: in the morning, we went to the big playground in Loyola Park, then we went to meet Vlad for lunch, (and stopped at the Glenwood Sunday Market for fruit popsicles) and in the afternoon, we went to the beach again.

The weather on Sunday was … interesting. Very strong winds with temperatures barely above 70F, but the lake was as warm as the Midetarranian Sea. And the waves! The lifeguards were not supposed to let anybody into the water, but how can you control the force of nature?! They were making sure, however, that everybody stays really close to the shore.

There was an outdoor class of rhythmical dances, and I sent Anna to have fun 🙂

I bought a new set of beach toys, so not only Nadia and Kira were having fun, but Anna was equally (if not more) enjoying building the sand Tallinn Castle.

Granted, Vlad’s surprise visit was a treat, and we all had a very good conversation. Too often, it happens that when we do not talk for a long time, we start to feel like strangers, not knowing what to talk about. It was not the case this time 🙂

Both Anna and I agreed that it was the perfect Chicago/Rogers Pak weekend, and without it, summer would be incomplete.

Girl’s Weekend – Saturday

We planned this last August weekend as a “summer in Chicago” thing because, last summer, things ended up so busy that we didn’t have a single beach day together. Also, we wanted to go together to Chalk Howard and create a picture on asphalt together.

We had that and much more, and it was overall a very happy weekend without which the summer would be incomplete.

Initially, we wanted to go to Chalk Howard twice: to draw our own thing in the beginning and then to see what other people had created in the evening, but we ended up doing just the afternoon because everybody was tired by that time.

Continue reading “Girl’s Weekend – Saturday” →

Mega March Unbreakable Nation

Ukraine Says Thank You

Can’t watch these videos without tears in my eyes
“Ukraine Says Thank You”