Big long post-spring break update

     I've been meaning to post a spring break recap, detailing all the fun one can have over spring break without leaving the midwest, but I've been "busy" (and lazy).  Today does not seem to be a particularly productive Saturday (although I went to kickboxing and cleaned my oven and my sink, so...  I feel somewhat of a sense of accomplishment.), so I give you the salute to the midwest (i.e. Illinois and Iowa, which are the only states besides Michigan that I really visit around here), followed by some pictures from last night's celebration of Mica and DB's birthdays:

     Unfortunately, my sister's and my vacation only overlapped by one weekend, but it was fun to visit Iowa City when we took her back the first Saturday of my spring break.

     Here is a picture of the family in front of Pagliai's Pizza, one of the best pizza palaces anywhere!  You can't see it in the photo, but there are people flipping the pizza dough in the window behind them.  My sister has her viola, because she takes it with her pretty much everywhere.

     I brought my Tigger backpack on the trip, much to the amazement of every child I encountered, who would inevitably follow me around like the Pied Piper (not my metaphor; we went to a new age store the next day where the shopkeeper complemented me on my bag, and I told him about the children, after which he made the reference to the dude with the pipe) or, in the case of this dinner, turn around in their booth and point out to their parents that Tigger was behind them every five minutes.

     On Tuesday I saw "The Watchmen" with Christine.  It was her third time seeing it, and my first.  It was kind of creepy, but really good; it held my attention for its full 2.7 hours.

     The next day I had good old American hot chocolate (at Starbucks) with Ravinia coworker Kate, where we had lively conversations catching up on our lives and gossiping about our coworkers, until the Starbucks employees started sweeping the floors and cleaning out the cash register, or whatever businesses with cash registers do at the end of the night.

     Kate later convinced me to come into work on that Friday for a "Rising Stars" concert, during which we stuffed envelopes for returning workers and tried to decide who was really worthy of coming back ;)

     On Thursday, I was a "teacher's helper" for my mom, and played violin with her violin, cello and bass students.  It was pretty fun, and according to my mom, the kids were calmer than usual since I was there.

     On Saturday, some high school friends and I met Karthik at Gameworks in Schaumburg.  Gameworks is essentially a Chuck 'E' Cheese for grown-ups.  At the beginning of our Gameworks experience, we played arcade games such as Road Rage, Blow Up The Death Star ("Star Wars"), and Shoot Zombies With A Plastic Gun and Get Really Angry When The Zombies Slash Your Face (I don't remember the actual titles in any of these games.)  I was getting progressively more and more angry because these games did not distribute any tickets at the end and I had SEEN prizes on the main level of the complex.  We took a break for dinner, during which we had pretty good food and I cooled off by eating and talking out my anger.  In the middle of our dinner break, I had to go to the bathroom, and on my way there, I found what I now refer to as the "money games" (the ones that dispense tickets), which I later played for almost the entire duration of our time there after dinner)Then, some college friends stopped by (Karthik had told them we were going, and apparently they were inspired) and seemed kind of frightened of my crazy-eyed talk of my plans to get to the money games after we'd finished dinner.  It was a good time, though, and I ended up winning some prizes with my tickets!  I'm planning on going back sometime.

Goodbye, Gameworks!  Now let's take these pictures quickly because it's cold and raining!

Mica, Chris and Jessica at Esquire to celebrate Mica's and DB's birthdays:

Sean and friend:

Anna and Julie:

Rebecca and Dan:

DB (right) and friend:

Dan eating chips out of a bag without his hands....  Unfortunately the waxpaper from his empty french fry basket is obstructing the view:

     After dancing at C-street for two hours, I took my shoes off at the bus terminal.  Chris decided to put them on and show us his catwalk skills (which are way too impressive for any of these pictures to give them justice.)