After I blogged about the Lion’s Den and mentioned that there is nothing like that in Illinois, my friend promptly replied that in fact, there is something like that, namely, the forest preserve with the lake!
When I looked at the map, I realized that it is perfectly reachable by public transportation, namely by Metra UP-North. The next thing I realized – the only option to go there before the end of September was the upcoming Sunday (July 16). I promptly made up a plan and executed 🙂
I forgot that I had a lot of points to order some corporate-branded merchandise, and when I received a reminder about the points, it took me by surprise. I ordered several items for different weather, and I was pleasantly shocked when I received the items – I never had corporate apparel with such a perfect fit (I probably do not show well in the picture, but trust me!) Even a hoody fits like a designer jacket!
This was a small thing, but I am very proud of it.
Sometimes, things break, or you lose a part, and then it appears to be very difficult to find this one small part that you need to replace, and it is very tempting to replace the whole thing.
Recently, I accidentally threw a percolator tube into the garbage. And I didn’t realize I did it until it was too late, and the garbage was already in the dumpster. I started to look for a part on Amazon, and I couldn’t find it. A couple of years ago, I had to buy a new percolator for Milwaukee when the lid of the coffee basket went missing, and I could not find a replacement for such a simple thing and ended up ordering a new percolator.
This time, I was almost ready to do the same, but when I checked the percolator’s price on Amazon, I saw that it had gone up almost twice since I purchased it last time. Most likely, that won’t stop me because I wanted the problem to be solved ASAP, but then I thought about the conservation efforts and what a waste it would be to throw away the whole percolator with only this tube missing!
I made an effort :). I found the company website and ordered the replacement perk tubes. Two of them :). Because it’s not the last time I need one. And it was not as fast as Amazon delivery. And two tubes plus shipping cost only a little bit less than a new percolator. But I was so happy I did the right thing 🙂
Today, I joined a group of DRW volunteers to participate in the Lunch and Learn event for theGreenwood ProjectThat was an incredible experience! I can’t remember the last time I talked to such an intelligent and motivated group of young people with clear professional goals and the thrust for knowledge. Also, I can hardly remember any other event, including big professional conferences, that would result in that many LinkedIn connection requests. Good job, Scholars!
I was really impressed with the students’ questions! Even after the event, I kept thinking about some of them. One student asked me what helped me to keep moving up in my professional career. I replied, as I usually do, that my biggest motivation was that I loved what I was doing.
Several months ago, I wrotean essay about itin my personal blog. Today, after I answered this question, I wondered whether…
It’s all done. This huge weight is off my shoulders. Now I am going to take a deep breath and dive into the next round of bureaucracy: Medicare, SS benefits, passport, and whatever else. But at least we are done with that one!
And not just the bouquet – it’s just that summer finally reached this stage of perfection, when the water in the Lake is warm, and the air is velvet, and the flowers smell, and everybody have the lights on their balconies, and you enjoy every second of your existence 😀
I like flexibility; I always liked the option of being able to work remotely, but not the idea of working remotely full-time. This WBEZ podcast mentions some of the issues which are important to me regarding working from home. If I would be honest with myself, I have to admit that the most important factor for me is a relatively small and seemingly unimportant thing – the lack of physical movement when you work from home.
A funny story is that twenty years ago, it was just the opposite: when I worked from home, I had the option of going biking during the lunch break, and I didn’t have to time my morning workout to make sure I was not late for the train. Back then, working from home meant more physical activity, and now it’s the opposite.
When it comes strictly to work, I know that 1) you can be very efficient while being remote;2) I had exceptionally successful emote projects; 3) you can have social interactions working remotely. But you can’t seamlessly incorporate move moving into your everyday life.
… and yes, there is nothing better than whiteboarding!
The longest bike ride of this season so far, 25.34 miles. For Bike the Drive, I signed up for a 30 miles challenge, but I should also add about 3 miles to get from my house to the official start and 3 miles back :). I will have at least two stops on the way, including the breakfast, so I am pretty sure I can make it with no problem. Today was not a stretch.
One thing is for sure – Independence Day was perfect weather-wise. My friends visited Chicago during the holiday week. They stayed in a hotel on the Near North, and I volunteered to give them a city tour on July 4 (having that most of the museums were closed anyway). It turned out that not only museums were closed! We could not get in neither Chicago Cultural Center, nor Rookery building Foye, nor Chicago Fine Arts Building.
Nevertheless, we had a great walk around the city in a perfect weather, and then I took then for the Brown Line Loop to see the city from the unique perspective, and then I we went to Rogers Park and I showed them how I live, and how close the lake is.
Although it was a perfect beach weather, the beach was so packed that I didn’t think I could find any pleasure and enjoyment being on the beach on in the water, co after I saw them off, I returned to catching up with life :).
Then, there was 90F on Wednesday followed by this horrible thunderstorm that started during the concert. I still can’t get over of how bad it was, and how quickly everything was flooded, and my mom had such a horrible experience (in addition, she could not sleep the night before that because of the illegal fireworks).
And then there was Thursday, when it was barely warm (lower 70-s), but since the lake was already warmed up, it was a beach weather, and it was such a fun to jump. in the waves!
Summer is the only time when I try to work from home one or two days a week to be able to have a lunch break ar the beach!
