Peoria Pigs, Chicago Picnics, and Naperville pampering

Date: Thursday 5/15/08- Sunday 5/18/08

In Peoria, I met up with my good friend, Jason. Peoria's a lot like the Lubbock I remember, and Jason's a lot like the buddy I remember from college. He plays on a rugby team called the Peoria Pigs, a good group of guys who practice on Thursday nights before going out and hitting some beers and some karaoke, the REAL business of a rugby team.

Peoria is just about the size of Lubbock, plus Caterpillar, the huge manufacturer of construction equipment. It seems like most people who live there work for Caterpillar directly or do contract work for caterpillar. Its a cozy little town with a river running through it. Jason's got a pretty good thing going there, I hope it suits him going forward. It's always great to see him.

I made it into Chicago on Friday, 5/16/08. The weather was gorgeous and the city was just warming up for the weekend. My friends thanked me for bringing the good weather. That is actually how it has been until now. I have been rediculously lucky with weather. On Saturday I organized a picnic using only text messages from my cell phone and one email message. Surprisingly, everyone met up and everything went off without a hitch. We had the amazing chicken salad from Hyde Park Produce, and all kinds of other produce and meats. We sat around and played some Whoonu, laughing and catching up as the weather cooperated exactly until we all had to leave. Afterwards it got a little cold and we headed home, exhausted.

Hah, thanks to Elaine for her heartfelt email, I love this description especially: "I think my new view of you is like a modern day hippie - spreading peace and love and baseball whereever you go. :) " Peace, love, and baseball everyone, isn't that beautiful? I think I am a hippie at heart, I love to wander, and I like the outdoors. Can't MBA's be hippies too? It was great to see you Elaine, your laughter and smile are immense and wonderful, it was great to see you, thanks for making my time in Chicago memorable. Also thanks to Bob, Ziggy, Brian, Ben, Hanna, and Stephanie for coming out and spending some time with me, I'm glad we all got to see each other.

I got to hang out with my friend Rose at a monumental party that evening in Andersonville. The party started with everyone being passed out a random name card, I was "Holden Caufield" of Catcher in the Rye fame. At the beginning of the night no one really paid attention to the name cards, but by the end of the evening, we were all trying to act our parts, and having an awesome dance party at the same time. Later, I had a talk with Nancy Drew, and she said the name didn't fit my "joie de vivre" (her words, not mine) that Holden Caufield decidedly did not have. By the end of the night, I was a more-fitting "Killer." I'm really glad that I got a chance to hang out with Rose, she's been a great friend and an inspiration with all she's had to go through. Rose is always being strong for everyone, and Chicago can sometimes be a depressing place. Keep playing ultimate and squeezing life to the last drop!

After the Sunday game (PIT @ CHC) I went up to Naperville to spend some time with my Aunt Ruth and Uncle Madavan. Aunt Ruth graciously paid for my first oil change and a fill up, and I spent a day catching up on my scorecards, and doing a little blogging. I am noticing a couple of things about this trip. First, the only real relaxation I get is when I am on the road or have a break day, otherwise I am running around making sure that I get places on time and take pictures. Second, I must learn how to sleep more! My eyes have been popping open every morning at 7am, its getting better, but I think I am still afraid of getting somewhere late, or missing a game. Lastly, I must remember to take pictures of everyone I stay with and put them on the blog. The only way I can finish this trip is with their help. The trip is more about them than it is about anything else. Sorry rose for forgetting to get a pic of us!

It's tough to leave the Midwest, its been so good to me, and Chicago is definitely like a second home to me. The midwest has such a comfortable humility about it. The people are nice, and most do not make grandiose claims that it's the be-all-end-all of the entire world. Thanks to all that have made it special to me again these past 2 weeks. Sadly, its time to move east.