Weekend Update
We've decided that the time has come to see the touristy things in Chicago that we usually ignore. So, for example, we went on the Architectural River Cruise on Sunday. Our cruise started at 10 a.m. and it was already roasting outside. We did discover, however, that if motivated, you can walk all the way from the Millennium Park parking garage to the boat dock without ever going on "upper" level streets. The cruise was really interesting (and really hot) but we learned a lot. I didn't realize how few architectural firms were responsible for the buildings along the river.

Then, in an attempt to stay cool, we walked over to the Nordy's mall on Michigan for lunch, again avoiding the upper level. After lunch, we hit the River East movie theater, and saw "Charlie & the Chocolate Factory" and "Wedding Crashers." Both movies are excellent, although at opposite ends of the movie spectrum. Johnny Depp is truly weird as Willy Wonka, and Vince Vaughn is really funny in Wedding Crashers. Plus, the trailer for Harry Potter 4 was before "Charlie," so we got to see that - I can't wait! I'm now re-reading the books (again).

Flip-flop flap
So, I was surfing the Michigan sports web site (to check out next year's football schedule for a co-worker) and look what I found. How come the Michigan softball team can wear shorts & tennis shoes to the White House and no one minds, but the NU lacrosse team wears skirts & flip-flops and it's all over the news?

OK, since the last quiz sucked...
I tested this one and it is possible to get different answers... I swear.

You Are a German Shepherd Puppy

Intelligent, quick witted, and a bit aggressive. You've got the jaw power to take a bite out of anyone you choose.

Pop Quiz!
OK, I am a little adventurous... right? Bueller?

Slow and Steady

Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy. They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder. It'd really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment. They expect you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then usually decide against it.

When it is time to move on...
So, Sunday evening I came home from lab around dinner time. Kathleen and I decided to order Thai food from our local favorite Thai place and walk over to pick it up. Now, I've been in enough times that they know me by sight and greet me when I walk through the door. Just for kicks, I asked Kathleen to call and order the food and order one dish I am particularly fond of, garlic beef without any broccoli or onions, without mentioning my name. Here's a excerpt from the phone call:

Kathleen: "I'd like panang curry chicken with extra vegetables"

Thai food lady: "OK, anything else?"

Kathleen: " An order of garlic beef, no onions no broccoli"

Thai food lady: "This order is for Jimmy, right?"

...at which point Kathleen almost fell over from a combination of laughter and shock. Knowing me on sight is one thing, but the Thai restaurant now knows me by my order! I don't know whether to feel comfortable or weirded out by this.

DSL vs cable modem
Kathleen and I wanted to poll the community regarding whether DSL or cable hi-speed internet would be better to get once we move. We currently use old-fashioned modem dial-in at home (free through U of C), so we don't have any real experience with either DSL or cable modems. What do you all think? We appreciate any and all information and suggestions. Thanks!

We have returned!
OK, just kidding - we didn't go anywhere. We have, however, been annoyingly silent of late, and for that we apologize.

All is well with us - we have lease in hand (finally) for our new place. I managed to convince the management co. to send it by threatening them to take our business elsewhere. The company wanted us to wait until we moved in to even see the lease - you've got to be kidding me. If we did that, then how could our lawyer (aka Dad) review the lease? :-D

We've started to realize that our move is coming soon. Keep time free, probably Aug. 20, for loading boxes with a pizza bribe, please!

We have an apartment!
Mood:  a-ok
Our trip to A2 (trying to pick up the local slang) to look at apartments went very well. We saw 10 different apartments, nine communities & one duplex (just to shake things up). Two communities made the finals. Both have pools, 24-hour fitness centers, one free carport included in the rent, washer/dryer and dishwasher, fireplace, and are dog-friendly. One was near the mall and I-94, and included free cable. The other was more suburban, closer to a nature preserve & grocery store, and slightly less per month (about the cost of cable).

We ended up chosing the second community based upon the floorplan - we think the one we picked will allow us more options in organizing the space.

Apart from looking at apartments, we had a good time. We went to dinner on Saturday with one of J's new labmates & his wife, who are very nice & seem like they'll be fun to hang around with. They gave us a tour of downtown and pointed out all the good restaurants, and which restaurants to avoid (they are foodies & have tried every place, I think).

Sunday, we went to the Newman Center for church - not as nice as our current church, but I think we could make do. We'll probably check out some other churches in the area once we move, too. Then we hit a cool deli for lunch - they had about 50 different types of sandwiches, plus all sorts of salads. Kind of pricey, but it was right by campus, so I guess students are willing to pay the prices. We walked around campus a bit - it's pretty, and huge. Lots of green space.

All in all, we had a good time, and I think we'll really enjoy our new apartment. Of course, we'll have to hang out the NU flag asap :)

Relaxing the weekend away...
Spent Saturday trying to narrow down the list of potential future apartments. I think we've got a list of about 30 down to 14 or so... not bad. If some places don't call me back before the end of the week, they are off the list. One leasing agent told me that they didn't show apartments on weekends - off the list! (We aren't going to take work off to visit apartments - sorry.)

Trying to find a place that will let us have a dog isn't easy. Some places even sound sketchy over the phone (sure, dogs are fine! we don't even charge for them! {read: the carpets have never, ever been changed.}). But we're tired of our pet-less existence and miss having dogs, so the complex/duplex has to allow dogs.

Sunday we relaxed - went to church, visited J's undergrad adviser, and saw Batman Begins. (Like Kim, we were confused by Katie Holmes' "attire" at the end of the movie - what was that about?) The rest of the movie was outstanding, however. Lots of good lines. Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine were fantastic in their respective roles.

And I know I said this before - but The 4400 is really one of the best summer series around. Watch it :)

Reflections on a second viewing...
So, the dialogue between Anakin and Padme definitely doesn't improve on a second viewing. The action scenes are still cool, however.

And... the Rent trailer was added to Star Wars! At least at the River East 21. Very cool. Can't wait. Totally forgive Jesse L. Martin for taking time off Law & Order (and freaking me out by not being in the opening credits for the last few episodes this last season).

On a different note, how did the Padres lose the Tigers last night? Unbelievable. Today's game is at noon - woo! for MLB radio.