Catching Up

Well, the school year is back and in full swing! I have been prompted to begin writing again... we'll seen how long that lasts. Admittedly, I feel like I am cheating a bit now with the name of my blog, but it'll stay to both confuse you and keep things simple. :) And where are the adventures going? Schoolwork? You mean I actually have to stay home and focus all of my time (thank you, AP US history) on homework?

Actually, I would be lying if I said I wasn't glad to get back into it all. On the other hand, what can be infuriating are the different perceptions/assumptions of some who have not experienced the same things I have. But I forgive you. We are different people, after all. Just please don't tell me you speak "Australian" after I tell you I was in Austria. To quote my generation, that is just "so wrong on so many levels."

Sarcasm aside, I have been doing a few other things with my time... sort of. A few weeks ago, I and my dad went camping further north, where we were very lucky to be without rain until we got to the car to leave for home! If you know my dad, you will know how astounding a feat this is. While we were there, we spent a good deal of an afternoon searching for mushrooms, and I am pleased to say found many. Sadly, of this many, almost all were poisonous. But I do have a few pictures:

And now that you are tired of mushrooms, I will finish up quickly! In case you are wondering, my school's football team is doing well so far this season - I have made it to one of our two home games so far. (There goes my goal to go to every one this year.) Secondly, I want to wish Marion a happy birthday and thank her for a wonderful '80s party! I enjoyed dressing up, as usual :)

hope you're all staying busy!
mary beth

Trip to the Windy City

This past weekend, I had the privilege of accompanying my dad on his business trip to Chicago. The first day he was not required to be there and was mainly to visit one of the city’s several universities, which I left with a good impression of. We flew in, arriving about 7:45AM local time, before dropping our luggage off at the hotel and heading to the campus. After touring it, we went to a tiny burger joint on the corner and had lunch before actually checking in to our hotel. Later we went to the Art Institute, where we saw this exhibit, among others, which did a good job of making fun of art that is typically taken a bit more seriously: 

DAY 2, I was on my own to explore! I spent many hours walking around Millennium Park, home to the famous Cloud Gate or “the Bean;” Navy Pier, which has the country’s only museum dedicated entirely to stained glass; the Cultural Center, which also has a huge Tiffany dome; and the now-called Willis (instead of Sears) Tower, which I did not actually go up.

DAY 3, I went on a tour of two of the city’s theaters, the Oriental Ford Theater and the Bank of America Theater (which has had many other names that were much better). For lunch and a bit of shopping, I took the train over to Chinatown, where I did not take any pictures… and managed to make a fool of myself while eating. If you see me, feel free to ask, but I am not about to write it out for the world. In the evening, I relaxed due to the fact that I had killed my feet. Afterwards I took my dad to Millennium Park so that he could see a bit more before we left the next morning. And for dinner – we had a Chicago pizza [pie]!

Have a good first day of school!
mary beth