I’m going to the zoo today for the first time in over a decade. Lincoln Park Zoo is pretty awesome, at least from what I remember of it. Not only do they have the monkeys, the pandas and the penguins, but also farm animals. It’s the midwest; you can’t go 10 miles without seeing a farm animal. lol.

Anyhoo, I think that’s about all that’s going on today–although we may stop at the Field Museum or something like that. The Field Museum, to me, isn’t as kewl as the Museum of Science & Industry. Things don’t change there, as much–you have dinosaurs instead of all of that state-of-the-art-geek-paradise stuff 🙂

Yesterday, we went to MSI and also Navy Pier. Navy Pier is always a must to visit; it’s definitely a good place to hang out. MSI had a really kewl exhibit about the human body. Basically, they had human bodies on display in various forms. Most of them were partial skeletons, illustrating the circulatory, nervous and musculature systems. They even had pregnant women on display. Either way, It’s a pretty interesting way to donate your body to science when ya don’t need it anymore.

In the evening, we took a Ghost Tour of Chicago. They told all kinds of stories, from back when Chicago settlers in Ft. Dearborn were massacred to Resurrection Mary. And they took us around to all the places where the people in the stories died.

Cubbies lost 8-3 yesterday. It wasn’t so bad up until the 9th inning. They fell behind 4-3 in the 8th. Then, the pitching totally collapsed and the Reds ran away with it. Bleh *goes off to cry in his beer*

Thunderstorms all over the place this morning. I hope the game won’t get delayed for too long, if at all.

Other than that, it was a night of Superdawg! They have the most kewl hot dogs & burgers I’ve ever had. Their fries are to die for. It’s definitely a place worth stopping at if ever you’re in Chitown.

Anyhoo, today is more of the same.. Cubs/Reds/some dinner-type place. Baseball heaven 😀

So the next couple of days, we’re going to be seeing the Cubbies lose–I mean play. It should be a h00t. They’ve been losing their butts over the last couple of weeks, but no big.. I’ve seen the Cubbies lose before. The life of the Cubs fan is definitely the life of the loser 😉

Today the game is at 1:20 and it’s on WGN. I don’t believe the game is on anything but local Chicago TV tomorrow *kicks stupid local Chicago TV*

Walked around Chicago most of the day yesterday. We tried to go to MSI in the afternoon yesterday–never try to get into MSI in the afternoon. The line to get in is longer than most lines at Disney World. We’re probably going again Thursday morning.

Anyhoo, we definitely got the exercise–it almost felt like we walked from one end of downtown to the other. It was saweet 🙂

The Discovery landed safe & sound at Edwards AFB. w00t!!

Back in the hometown again. I can’t wait to have some pizza. lol. Tonight, we are going to a resturaunt that is either owned or just has the name of Ron Santo (Cubs player from the days of yore).

Long day of travel. Lots of stops along the way–accidents and such.. Rush hour in downtown was suspiciously light–I would’ve figured heavier.. In all, it took about 13 hours to get here after starting out at 4:30am.

Even if they’re kinda sucking it, I can’t wait to see the Cubbies.

Pictures will definitely come soon.

So at frickin 1am this morning, I wake up to a gigantic thud. It wasn’t the sound of me rolling off the bed, but of something hitting the wall. I almost thought Penny, being her doofus little self, was rough-housing a little too much.

But then I hear yelling coming from the apartment below. Really loud yelling. Bleh. I guess the neighbor downstairs and his significant other were duking it out over something.

I stayed up a little while and fooled around in Linux for a bit. I guess the yelling must’ve lasted 30-45 minutes before finally cooling down. I was about to take pktaxwench‘s advice and call the cops, but the gf finally left–or someone left because I heard the outer door slam and all got quiet.

This wasn’t quite as bad as when the uberly fat neighbors upstairs at my old place almost busted down my door all because they were too big to squeeze in their car that they parked next to my roommate’s truck–so close that you could barely fit a piece of paper between the two vehicles. We didn’t know who it was at the door, so we didn’t answer and the banging got louder and louder. Now that was crazy-go-nuts.

Not a frickin’ good night. But, at least I’ll probably sleep like a baby tonight.

Godspeed Discovery

1. Think of the first word that comes to mind when you think of me.

2. Do a Google Image Search for that word.

3. Reply to this post with one of the pictures on the first page of results — don’t tell me the word.

4. Put this in your own blog so that I can do the same.

So, I had an interesting discussion today. Jobs move overseas everyday, for a combination of reasons: union greed, corporate greed, personal greed.. Lots and lots of greed, on all sides–although I’m sure there are certainly other motivating factors.

As a programmer, this is something that concerns me every day. In the last few decades, we’ve seen the United States lose the consumer electronics industry. No longer in any great significance do we manufacture items such as TVs or radios for the general consumer.. Most components for PCs are made in Japan or China.. What if all of the overseas computer science (and other technical areas of study) college students take back not only a knowledge base to their home countries, but also the jobs for which they are training?

Our economy is leading towards (and is already most of the way to) a service economy. Customer service jobs are replacing many technically-driven jobs. Even those service jobs, in many cases, are being sent over to India and other nations across the sea. We’re losing our technical edge–the edge that innovates instead of maintains or troubleshoots.

It leads to an interesting question. I don’t think it would ever get to this extreme, but maybe so…

…would you rather work for McDonalds, flipping burgers for the rest of your life here in America.. Or would you rather go overseas and continue the profession you love?

The third option would be to change careers entirely to something this nation needs and could not get rid of–the fireman, the police officer, the doctor, the lawyer.. But what if that’s not what you love?

Would you jump the sinking innovative American ship for the career you love?