I had some trouble finishing last night. It takes several hours to write this thing up. It doesn't always flow out as quickly as you might think and some days I just don't feel like writing. Today could be one of those days. I'll try to pick it up and go with it for awhile and see if I can make a dent in my recall of the month of April.

    I was on my way toward the City of Chicago when I stopped. Well, I did some advanced scouting on Wednesday and was able to just drive around and sort of absorb the city. I drove through neighborhoods and different districts. I drove on Lakeshore Drive which is attractive and even stopped to take a few pictures of the city center. I drove by Soldier Field II and found Wrigley and finally stopped the car when I found a parking meter in front of a used CD store. I was very pleased to have found nearly a half a dozen of these CD and record stores in this stretch, but didn't realize that I was also in the Gay part of town as well. Several blocks from where I parked was a fetish store and I was beginning to get a clue as to where I was, but it wasn't until a girl leaned out of her driver side window and yelled "Hey! Is she with you?", I figured that she wasn't talking to me, because there was no she with me, but she kept yelling, so I turned around and saw that she was yelling at these two girls behind me. One of the replied "Yeah". The light bulb turned on a moment later. The bohemian sections of town are always the most interesting to me even though I'm pretty much just a yuppie these days and have left any bohemian shadows behind me. (Not like I've ever really had bohemian tendencies, but I have had an affinity for things off of the mainstream.) The next day, we had an install early and I was free to explore the city by 10:00 AM. I went to the hotel to get changed into proper attire for the game and ended up missing my train headed downtown. I underestimated how long it would take to get to the station and missed it by less than 5 minutes. Because of my mistake I had to drive into town and secure parking. Traffic was bad, no awful and in my exasperation I quickly found a parking garage and paid out the nose for downtown parking. I would learn the error of my ways the next day...

    From my cozy parking garage I walked up to the Red line and headed on toward the game. I had two layers of shirts, a pullover and a pair of jeans. Oh, and I can't forget my black U2 hat. When I arrived in Chicago it was 30 degrees and I fully expected that I would need to bundle up for the game. By Thursday it was a balmy 70 degrees and I was getting hot. I had too many clothes. It was shorts weather! To top it off, I awoke in Milwaukee with a sore throat. I'm still dealing with the congestion, 2 and a half weeks later. So, here I am sitting in the stands, and my  throat is dry and uncomfortable, I'm hot and I'm really enjoying being at a Cub game. So, I'm miserable and I'm happy. I can't remember the last time I felt like that. I remember playing softball one evening in New York and I was feeling pretty sick and feverish and I had one of my best games ever. It's funny how our mind can kind of clear up and allow for a truer performance when we have other infirmities. Odd.

    Anyway, Wrigley Field was fun. It was packed and I was in deep right field in Sammy's corner of the field. I tried to take some pictures of him but they were blurry. It must have been the fever. The wind was blowing out and there were a lot of home runs hit, so it was a pretty exciting game. The Cubs won and because it was such a fine day hardly anyone left earlier. After the game, I wandered around trying to find a place to eat, but most places were catering to the drinkers and I didn't expect to eat a good meal under those conditions. Still, it was a treat to go to the game. Next time I go to Chicago I'll check out the Sox. Had I done that this time, I would have had much better tickets.

    Friday was a short day as well. I had an installation in the early morning then I was free to roam the city until about 1:30. I had a 3:45 flight and I wanted to give myself plenty of time to get to O'Hare. Anyway, my co-worker suggested that I park at the Post Office, show my badge and leave so that I wouldn't have to pay for parking. I wish that he had mentioned that earlier. I would save $25 on parking. Ouch, I hate admitting that I paid that much for parking. Easy come, easy go. Not words to live by, but it helps me get over the expense. So, I parked at the Postal facility near the Sears Tower and was able to walk over there and see one of the tallest buildings in the world. I have touched the Empire State Building, but I've never been in it. I remember when I was about 9 or 10 and we were in Manhattan and we passed by the Empire State Building and I just felt the need to reach out and touch it, as if my eyes wouldn't be boast worthy enough for when I returned home. It's good that I didn't meet any celebrities at that age. They probably would have frowned on me touching them.

    I bought a ticket to ride the elevator to the 103rd floor. It's actually 7 stories higher than that but they don't let you pester the people that actually work there. The view is quite incredible even though the weather was hazy. Well, I can't describe the view as well as my camera and even that (in my hands) is suspect.

This set includes pictures of Milwaukee taken from the 16th or 18th floor. I took one before I left the room for dinner and one after I got back later that night. It's an interesting comparison. to see what was lit up at night.

    The next set are my walking around pictures. I should have gotten more shots, but I was more concerned about finding my way around. I also didn't want to look like a tourist unless I was among other tourists.

    Here are a few pictures from Wrigley field. I wish that I had a good zoom, but it's a borrowed camera so I'll just be thankful that I can share even just a little bit of what I'm seeing out there.

    I tried to take a picture from all sides of the Sears Tower, but failed in that endeavor. I realized after I returned that I didn't have any pictures directly west or Southwest. I think that those shots were near the elevator that took you back down to the lobby.

West Picture Missing
Southwest Picture Missing

    The last thing I did before leaving Chicago was that I went to Giordano's near the Sears Tower. I didn't eat the Chicago style pizza that they are supposedly famous for, but I did have a delicious Italian Sausage Sandwich. The dipping sauce was pitch perfect and I could have spent some days there trying out the other things on the menu.

    Next time I go to Chicago, I need to do some more research and map out a strategy for seeing some special sites. For example, many of John Hughes films were filmed around Chicago and I wasn't working too far from some of those sites, but I didn't do the proper research beforehand. I also didn't get to Wax Trax which is a record store that was first established in Denver, before they moved to Chicago. Eventually they started a record label which has since been sold to TVT records. A lot of Industrial bands got their start with Wax Trax, but that's not really why I'm interested in the store. In Denver, the store carried a load of vinyl in the early 90's and I was able to buy U2 singles of stuff that wasn't available anywhere else. Our trips were a treasure hunt for hard to find items. We literally made a day of it. My old roommate Micah and I would get into his 1978 Ford Thunderbird and I would be riding along in the passenger seat with a stack of CD's and the portable CD player. I would play DJ while his whale took I-25 from Colorado Springs to Colfax Avenue up in Denver. At first, we didn't know our way around so we would always jump off on Colfax no matter what our destination in Denver was. I still enjoy going to Wax Trax whenever I'm in town, but it can never compare to the wonder of the first few times I went.

    The week after I returned from Chicago was devoted to a massive spring cleaning effort. I hadn't washed my kitchen floor since I had moved in (I know... Ooh.) So, I got down on my hands and knees with the scrub brush trying to get up everything. I followed my efforts with the Swiffer to get anything I missed and to give it that old Swiffer smell. The bathrooms needed the white glove treatment and it was time to bother the Carpet Cleaner. Why was all this necessary? My relatives were coming to town to attend my Uncle's burial at Arlington Cemetery.

    My Uncle Dave died of Cancer on March 26th. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1975 and he and his family lived in Alleghany, NY. We didn't see a lot of them when I was growing up, but I liked Uncle Dave quite a bit. He loved the Cleveland Indians, even when they were pathetic. Each year that I saw him, he would give me tips on the latest rising star for the Indians. He was a good guy. He's married to my Dad's sister and most of that side of the family came down for the funeral. It's a great honor to be buried at Arlington Cemetery but it's hard and you have to wait a month to get on the list. Space is limited at the cemetery, so my Uncle could only be buried there if he were cremated. His son did all the arrangements and it was something to go out there to see a military funeral. It was Tuesday, April 26th and the day looked promising. The sun was out, and I was concerned that I might be too hot. As 3:00 PM rolled around the sky began to darken and it began to drizzle. When we arrived at the site the rain was harder and the wind began to pull at our umbrellas. The soldiers who performed the ceremony were excellent. I kept repeating to myself "thank you." What they do is important, and they do it well. He received a 21 gun salute and as the soldiers folded the flag meticulously the wind and rain escalated. At the end of the ceremony the soldier is instructed to thank the widow for her husband's service on behalf the United States. After he recited the required phrases, he then quietly thanked her for her husband's service on behalf of his family and gave her a kiss on the cheek. That second portion was not in the handbook and it was moving that this gentleman would honor my uncle in such a way. As soon as the service was complete and people laid flowers on the marker, the sun came out. The clouds parted and we brought our umbrellas down. It was kind of creepy how the storm came in for just the duration of the ceremony.

    Afterwards, we went to my brother's house for food and a place to remember him. Since I live nearby, I was able to give some of my aunts and uncles tours of my house. You sort of want them to see that you've made it. It was like I was 9 again. And, when they saw the Star Wars room, they agreed. My Uncle D, Aunt M and their son A stayed with me. I was glad that they called requesting a place to stay. I like sharing my house with others and it was a great opportunity to spend time with them. Too little time is spent with these folks. The distance has always made our relationships harder to strengthen. Still it's good that we were able to really get to know my cousins better and it's always a treat to see my Grandfather and my Aunt's and Uncles.

    Well, I'm off to Oklahoma City this week, so I'll update you on all my travels later in the month. I think that I'm headed to Portland, Oregon and Seattle Washington the week after next.

    What the heck am I thinking??? I forgot to honor my Mom in here. Today is her Birthday. Happy Birthday Mom! I called her and sent a card, but I almost walked away without mentioning her here. Must be tired. Later!

    I've been there before and it was sobering then. This time, I got better pictures. As you may recall I've been to the Oklahoma City Memorial. I went almost two years ago. When I went last time, I went during the day. This time I went later in the evening and as the sun went down the memorial became more striking. The pictures can do an even better job. I'll try to describe the scene so that you'll know what I'm talking about. I'm terrible with directions (i.e. N, S, E, W) so I can't tell you with any specificity which direction I entered the memorial from. I believe I came from the South. It would have been the front of the building (had it not been targeted). In the front right corner of the building, there used to be the day care center with a playground in front. Now there is just a chain link fence with nothing in it. It struck me more than anything else that I saw the first time I was there. After taking the picture of the chain link fence, I walked around to another set of fences that are on  the outside of the memorial. On these fences, pictures and trinkets, crosses and letters are attached as a reminder of the folks who loved these victims. I took a few pictures of the fence and as I did, a photograph of a pretty girl caught my eye and because it was a pretty girl, I decided to continue on and take a picture of another part of the fence instead. These two pictures were taken then.

    I entered the memorial again to take pictures of the reflecting pool and the chairs that are there. There is one chair per victim. 168 in all. A few of the chairs have two names on them, because a few of the women were pregnant. I took several pictures from that perspective.

    I decided to get a close up of one of the chairs and as I zoomed into the picture I read the name on the chair. Her name was Julie Welch and it was the same girl whose picture I declined to take. I decided that I would go ahead and take her picture after all, so I circled back and took that one on my way out of the memorial.

    As I walked around the memorial and took more pictures of the reflecting pool and the walls, I started to think of the Ramones song "I remember You." U2 performed it for Joey Ramone right before his death (or maybe it was after) anyway, it was done in concert and the band made it available as part of a single. As I was looking at the fence and seeing all of the stuff hanging on it, I wondered how long will this last? In a hundred years, will people still be placing things on this fence? Will people honor the memories of their grandparents, great uncles and aunts or even cousins? In 1995 it was a big deal, and it's been made less so because of 9-11. It's sad that tragedies eclipse one another in their infamy. Let me stop musing about my thoughts and just put up the pictures and explain why they are important. Beyond that, I probably just minimize what happened or maximize my relation to it. Neither would be helpful.

    Here are a few pictures of the wading pool. At each end of the Pool are entrances with numbers etched in them. On one side 9:01, the other 9:03. In between, innocence was lost. The chairs were placed approximately where their desks would have been.

    Lastly, I took a picture of the wall that was facing the blast. The message was written before anyone knew what had happened, who was responsible and why. I think we're struggling with why. One of the nice things about the memorial is that they haven't tried to turn it into a mausoleum per se. They have instead attempted to make it accessible to children thereby not making it a place to run from. At the entrance to the museum itself, they have tiled handprints of local children. They also have huge pieces of slate on the sidewalk and they leave buckets of chalk out, so that the kids can write messages to those who have been lost. It helped to take the edge off what could be an overwhelming site.

    The next night, I got so bored, I drove to Tulsa which is about 90 or 100 miles away. I liked it better because there were trees, and Oklahoma City is sort of flat and faceless. OKC has tried to give their city some character and the best example is in Bricktown. The Rangers AAA farm club is there, although I didn't catch a game and they have a short river walk. Since it was Cinco de Mayo, it was probably more festive than usual, but I arrived too late to eat at the happening Mexican restaurant there. So, I decided to relax with a cigar at Maker's Cigar & Piano Lounge. I sat in a comfortable leather chair in dim lighting while two old guys played piano and sung lounge music. It was hard not to smile frequently at the atmosphere. Sadly, I didn't talk to anyone there. The guy sitting near me seemed to be content to be left alone and the couples near by tend to frown on 3rd wheels. So I enjoyed my cigar, my overpriced beer and the tinkling of the ivories before heading back to the hotel.

    As boring as OKC is, it was still better than previous visits. The weather was just about perfect and it was green. Previous visits were during the winter and so flat mixed with brown is just boring.

    Well, I have a lot to do today to prepare for the Survivor finale and my next trip. Next stop! Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. Beware Frazier Crane!!!

    It’s 8:25 PM EST, except that I’m not on EST anymore. I’m currently in Kansas, 39,993 feet in the air. We’re traveling at 468 mph. Frontier Airlines provides all this information to it’s passengers. All in all I’m pretty pleased with my Frontier experience. The seats are newer and comfortable and not as cramped as other airlines. Oh yeah, and they fed us. What a novelty in this day and age. This flight is about 4 hours long, so I guess it’s worth it to feed us. I give all these compliments despite being 15 minutes late and that 25% of the flight is occupied by 9th graders returning from a class trip to Washington D.C.
    Each time the fasten seat belt sign went off the aisles erupted with be bopping heads and kinetic energy. The only description that comes to mind is the Muppets in the beginning of the Muppet movie. In that scene, the Muppets are awaiting the beginning of the film, and they are all packed in a movie theatre and chickens are clucking and flying around, Animal is chewing the seatbacks, Statler (sp?) and Waldorf (the two old critics) are cracking jokes in the midst of the chaos. Every few minutes I see a flash go off. Initially I wondered if it were lightning from outside the cabin. A few minutes later I caught a view of the offending digital camera above the seat tops.
    In odd news, the 30-something lady next to me got up and a folded piece of paper from a magazine fell to the floor. I picked it up in order to give it back to her and then my eye caught the playboy bunny symbol. The page was from the advice column. I figured it might be more embarrassing to give it back to her, so I just stuffed it into the seat back in front of me. I guess some people actually do read it for the articles. :-)
    Well, I have to shut down now, we are on our final approach. We’ve descended to 31936 feet, and our speed has decreased to 446 mph. My adventure has begun, I’m on my way to the Pacific Northwest!
 

    I'm only home for another day before hitting the road for a church retreat. Once a year, the parent church does a get together for a few days over Memorial Day Weekend. This will be the final year for this. I went two years ago, and it was pretty good. It's a wonderful to get to know the people that you go to church with. It's pretty easy to remain strangers when you can retreat home and put your ugly face back on. When you have to sleep across the hall from them, honesty ensues. Fun does too.

    Because of the occupied weekend, I need to get this diary entry out with my latest pictures from the Northwest Portion of the United States. It's 6:30 PM and I'm already feeling fatigued at the idea of producing a diary entry this evening. I don't want to get too far from my trip, as I will forget some of things that I saw, but I also have a limited schedule for getting things done this evening. Hmm, maybe I'll wait to post pictures on the June diary. This page is already pretty full of pictures and I think that June will be a light traveling month... although there is already a rumor that I'll be headed down to NC and SC to teach a class on installing the systems that I've been doing over the last several months. It will be fun to perform in front of them, and because I work at Engineering, they tend to listen to what I have to say. Fools! It's actually kind of nice to get a respectful or even honorific reception. My public speaking has gotten much better over the past couple of years. When I did it for the first time in Oklahoma, I was pretty nervous. It's been getting easier.

    Today, I bought a pair of Tevas for the first time. I haven't ever worn an open toed shoe in my life. With the possible exception of when I was a single digit. Ever since I can remember, I've sort of detested flip flops for the way that they feel and how they sound. I hate it when they smack your sole repeatedly. Tevas at least remove the possibility of sole smacking. I've sort of avoided the whole idea of sandals for a very long time. I kind have hobbitesque feet and although I'm sure that my feet aren't grotesque, I feel kind of odd about showing them off. My opinion is that my feet don't really look bad at all. I'm not pigeon toed, I don't have hang nails or discoloration of any kind. But still, I feel a little more naked than I do with tennis shoes.

    Ahhh, there, I've put them on for the first time. I have to deliver my dog to my Sister-in-law's parents house. You remember them. They were the kind folks who put me up for a month while I waiting to move into my first home. I feel all beachy now with my Teva's and my new floppy hat from the Mariner game that I went to in Seattle. I haven't ever worn a floppy hat before, it's kind of like the fishing cap that Henry Blake from M.A.S.H. wore. The only problem is that it's powder blue. It does have the Seattle Mariners insignia though. I guess it will be the thing to wear to keep my head from getting fried. I'm going to wear it tomorrow when I do parking duty at the college we're staying at. It's weird when I mess with my conventions of what I think looks good on me. I'm such a poor judge of taste on myself, that whenever I find a style befitting me, I hold onto it for dear life. Change is bad in those circumstances. That will be an upside to marriage... maybe. Maybe she'll want to help dress me. If she doesn't all is well, I can continue muddling on in 80's and 90's fashions. Fortunately the professional fashions remain somewhat constant.

    OK, I'm going to get a bite to eat. I refuse to stock my refrigerator with myself being out of town so frequently. Maybe I'll finally hit a proper grocery store next week. Catch you folks later!