I’ve been in Chicago working this whole week and the weather has been extraordinarily nice… but it’s not supposed to be.
I pay pretty close attention to the weather forecasts when I’m traveling, because I like to try to pack the right clothes. If it’s going to be raining, I’ll bring a rain jacket. If it’s going to be cold, I pack heavy things. You get the idea.
This week, the forecast, uh, casted weather in the mid to high 60’s. Sounds good. Long sleeve shirts and a light jacket should do the trick. I used to live there, I know how it works. Since I was going to be spending a lot of time walking back and forth through the Loop, I knew it was probably going to be cooler than the forecast was predicting.
Sure enough, each morning I checked the local forecast again, like any good geek who trusts his computer more than his own senses. Every time the internets confirmed my earlier suspicions and I walked 
out the door expecting a cool Spring morning. But instead of having a nice walk, sweat would immediately start pouring out of my pores. Look at this screenshot on the right. You can see that although the high today was 74, it’s already 82. It’s been like that all week, and I’m a sweaty, sweaty guy.
Dorks do stupid things. Geeks do things you don’t understand.
— Tim Toerber
I’m a comedian, but in my free time I care about things.
— Gary Shandling, on Real Time with Bill Maher
When my parents were in town a few weeks ago, we decided to bust out the cameras and go on a little photo safari at a local county park. All of the results are available on my Flickr page, but here are a few of the good ones…
Alligator:
Moorhen:
Lizard:
Our photographer has finished our wedding photos and posted a very nice entry on her blog as well as an incredible slide show of the best shots.
Great work Anne!
I got stung by a rose bush.
— One of my mom’s 2nd grade students
The government’s ongoing War on Moisture does have a few benefits. One of them is that hotels seem to be catching on to the fact that store bought toiletries rarely seem to be packaged in the same permutations that can be brought through airport security. I stayed that the Hotel Intercontinental in Midtown Manhattan last week and I found more than the usual shampoo / conditioner / lotion assortment in the bathroom.
Of course, I didn’t really need any of it, but it was nice that my outrageously overpriced NYC hotel room did come with a little something extra, so I stuck the whole thing in my suitcase before I left the room.
Dena just posted her first items for purchase on her website Denarella Designs. They aren’t the fancy, handcrafted goods she’ll be putting up there shortly, but it’s a start.
I have high hopes for her endeavors… mostly because I want her to be wildly successful to support her deadbeat [aspiring] husband.
