Day 4 in Illinois

Disclaimer: For lack of a better term, whether I am on the road, or visiting a friend, until I am settled someplace again, I am simply going to call this time "life on the road" (I figure if twenty somethings who travel between three hotels in europe via euro-rail over the course of 10 days with luggage on wheels can call it "backpacking", why shouldn't I be able to call this life on the road?)

Anyway, life on the road has already started to throw some curve balls my way.  One such issue that I hadn't anticipated was the lack of time I would spend in front of a computer and the resultant email backup disaster- I currently have 114 unread in my inbox, I am hoping to get that down to zero sometime this week.  While in DC, I had all the time in the world to sit at a desk in front of a computer- in fact it was required that I do so for 8 hours a day minimum.  Now, when I sit in front of the computer, my time is limited to however much time it takes me to get through whatever task it is that I need to do- which right now is to update my blog.

Another issue is how my body would adjust to all this sudden change.  I am sleeping in a new, foreign bed (I miss my bed tremendously... my simmons beauty rest world class pillow top that I have only had for 12 months, which now resides all alone at my parents house in NY... sad sad story, i know) and Ive been going to the gym every day, playing racket ball, swimming laps like I used to do in high school, lifting weights, running... My body feels like that of an 85 year old man each morning, but I know this is something Ill appreciate soon enough.

Overall, I know it is soon to say, but life here in Libertyville has been great- I have no complaints and have been having a blast with the Currans.  Truth is, the reality of this whole thing hasn't really set in yet, so my thoughts feel more like a third party observation on someone else's life than on my own.  I'm sure in time reality will catch up with me, and by then I hope I am prepared to deal with how it makes me feel.  For now, the journey has just begun and Im still in the same ambiguous state of mind I have been in for the past few months.

Here are a few pics- in no particular order. 

This is Lucy... She is the Curran family dog... at first I thought she was too small, but after chasing her around the house and having her falling asleep on me, what can I say, she's growing on me.  

 

(one of) Joe's many tool bags.

 A lunch so good- I had to take a quick picture... three cheese grilled cheese on bakery fresh sourdough bread with tomato basil soup (Donna, Joe's mom, might as well put a sign on the door that says Bed and Breakfast... she is on top of everything and works very hard to make this place feel incredibly comfortable- right down to the comfort food)

This cabinet, up until last week, had basic shelves in it.  Now each side of the wine refrigerator has two drawers, each can hold up to 150lbs of weigh.  The hardware is impressive.

 Joe built each box from top to bottom, by the time I got here all I could really help with was details- the top edge of each drawer has a thin layer of teak on it and the front piece has a small over hang- I measured, cut, glued, nailed the teak and then helped with final installation.  Not a huge task, but already I've learned a ton from Joe.

This next batch of pictures is from what was quite possibly the coolest thing I've ever done.  (adult) go-kart racing.  with full suit, helmet, etc... the three of us raced three time, we couldn't get enough of it.  By the end, no one could pass joe and I- we plan on going back many times in the next few weeks.

 For those of you wondering how we did.  Joe and I were 3/10's of a second off on our best lap time, and that was how they scored each race.  We did ok on the first race, better on the second, and were unstoppable on the third.  Arty (Joe's dad) or Beansy as I like to call him, was right there behind us on each race.