How I Spent The Seventeenth Week Of The Rest Of My Life

While I have yet to actually set foot in Washington D.C., I am here.  My credit cards are changed over to my temporary Virginia address - even if I haven't yet set up a bank account to pay them.  I spent today learning the bus system in the area.  At least what there is of it.  There is one bus line that takes me to pretty much where I need to go (including the highlight of suburban existence - the mall) down Prince William Parkway.  I haven't explored how to get into the city yet.  I'm leaving that until tomorrow.

My adjustment period has been slightly hampered by the fact that Chicago gave me a going away present of some sort of sickness.  I was pretty much confined to bed all day yesterday.  But since I was sleeping all day, I didn't get my weekly wrap-up of expenses done.  So before I get too far behind, I'm just going to write it now.

Even if this blog entry is going to be pretty much nothing but this.

Here's how I "spent" last week:

TUESDAY, APRIL 26 ($49.90)

• 9:14 a.m. Firekeeper's Casino - $5.00.  Since I didn't go to the casino in Wisconsin Dells and this shiny new casino had beckoned to me from the side of I-94 more than once, I decided to stop.  Right from the start, I made the mistake of playing video blackjack and lost a bunch.  Then I made up a little playing video poker before I pretty much blew the last of it.  It's not like I was trying to make any money.
• 10:42 a.m. Waffle House Of America - $8.00.  Another place that I had built up in my mind on many travels between Detroit and Chicago.  This one did not turn out to be even slightly good.  The portion was tiny and it wasn't cheap.  There used to be two of them but the other not-Waffle House closed.  I'm not surprised.
• 11:31 a.m. Steel City - $25.89.  I had forgotten that my favorite Taco Bell on the way home (I was still hungry, the portions at the not-Waffle House were that small) was attached to a BP.  I ended up going across the street.  It took going to two pumps since one pump was completely broken.
• 1:55 p.m. Best Buy - Free.  Returning the incorrectly bought power cord for a laptop turned out to be relatively painless.  And I got paid back in cash which was an extra bonus.
• 2:07 p.m. Valero - $5.00.  When I saw how much gas prices were in the city, I was glad that I only had to top my tank up and was not using the car to drive around (though I wish I had ran a couple of more errands). This was barely over a gallon.
• 2:15 p.m. Taco Bell - $6.01.  My road habits died hard and I needed to get some "road fuel" one last time.  It was about all I could do to keep going as my driving was finally beginning to catch up to me.
• 3:11 p.m. Alamo Car Rental - Free.  Thank goodness for CDW insurance.  All I know is that they didn't even look at the police report from when I skimmed the deer.  I think the employee threw it out.  After dropping off the car, I went home, went to sleep, and woke up the next morning.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27 ($33.00)

• 9:44 a.m. El Charro - $5.00.  When I woke up from my long nap, the first thing I took to doing was throwing out heavy objects.  This was not a great idea on an empty stomach so I decided to get some breakfast at my old standby.  It's a good thing I didn't realize it would be my last time.  That would have been sad.
• 1:01 p.m. North Community Bank - Free.  The balance on my checking account was fluctuating.  When I went to withdraw money for my birthday week, I decided to check it out.  It turns out that many gas stations authorize $100.00 on the account.  This made my balance scary low.
• 1:49 p.m. McCormick Tribune YMCA - Free.  This was my 99th visit to the gym and it came the day before my birthday.  It might be the only day that I'm aware of that I went to the gym both years that I was a member.  It feels like it should be a yearly tradition.
• 3:31 p.m. Atlas Cafe - $3.00.  Clint Dempsey scored two goals in the Fulham match while I was at the gym so I decided to grab a tea and watch him go for his hat trick at the cafe.  He didn't end up getting it and I couldn't get their wi-fi to work properly anyway.
• 7:12 p.m. La Bocca Della Verita - $25.00.  Since I already had plans on my birthday dinner, I decided to treat myself to the #1 restaurant on my Chicago Restaurant Bucket List.  It turned out to be a disappointment as they made authentic gnocchi.  I loved the sauce, but I would have loved more flavor from the potatoes for the price.

THURSDAY, APRIL 28 ($16.35)

• 9:49 a.m. Wormhole Coffee - $4.35.  Somehow I lost my modem in the rental car and I was getting behind on birthday e-mails.  So I went to the place with the fastest wi-fi that I knew of in Chicago.  I probably could have stayed there all day, but I still had cleaning to do.
• 11:59 a.m. Cumin - $12.00.  I hadn't planned on staying at Wormhole as long as I did.  But it ended up spilling right into the time of this Indian place that I've always wanted to try's lunch buffet.  And it was pretty incredible!  Unlike Bocca, it was totally worth the wait.
• 4:59 p.m. McCormick Tribune YMCA - Free.  While I didn't get a free water bottle offer like last year (I don't know what I would have done with it), I went to the gym for the 100th time on my birthday, so I did get a present.  Foursquare's Century Club badge.
• 7:28 p.m. Real Tenochtitlan - Free.  This was truly one of my more forgettable birthdays.  I was glad at everyone who showed up, but after my going away shindig two weeks before, it was kind of anticlimactic.  But it was very tasty and productive as people took so much of the stuff that I was giving away that I barely had to throw anything out.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29 ($20.00)

• 1:08 p.m. Ay Ay Picante - $20.00.  While I never made it up to Taste of Peru while I lived in Chicago, I did get to try this Peruvian restaurant which had a more extensive vegetarian menu (and specialized in seafood).  I got their potato salad inside an avocado and it was amazing.
• 11:24 p.m. Archie's Iowa And Rockwell Tavern - Free.  My sister had a potluck at her apartment for her half of our shared birthday.  It moved on to the bar near her place but I was too tired and worried about moving heavy things the next day to stay long.

SATURDAY, APRIL 30 ($101.10)

• 1:37 p.m. KFC - $5.91.  I had wanted to get my rental car and run my final errands before lunch but since my landlady wanted me to go through the cleaning that just gets done over by a professional by Chicago ordinance, I was ready to pass out by the time I was done.  The fact that this is the slowest KFC in the world did not help matters.
• 3:18 p.m. Alamo National Car Rental - $89.19.  While I probably could have rented it for one day, it just seemed easier to rent it for two, run my final errands, and then drive myself to the airport.  And it definitely was.  I was even able to drive one of my peeps home from work and he helped me move my T.V.!
• 5:47 p.m. Maiz Anojitos Y Bebidas - $6.00.  This had been told to me as the best Mexican place in Chicago by multiple people and it was definitely good.  Especially since they use cactus.  It's one of the few places I've found in Chicago that does.
• 8:55 p.m. Congress Theater - Free.  It turned out that not only did I save money on airfare by staying in Chicago two extra days, but I also saved money on a concert.  Buffalo Tom in Washington D.C. would have been full price but someone had a free pass for Dead Milkmen.  It was a great show, but I felt like I had forgotten a lot of their songs.

SUNDAY, MAY 1 ($21.63)

• 1:55 p.m. Mitsuwa Marketplace - $15.63.  The one place that I had researched how to get to by public transportation that I could never figure out was this one in Arlington Heights.  Finally having a car again, I enjoyed ramen, Pastry House Hippo, and bubble tea.  This place is nuts though.  It reminds me why I don't want to go to Asia.  Sensory overload!
• 3:51 p.m. McCormick Tribune YMCA - Free.  It was almost sad to be done with my membership here.  While there have been some disgusting run-ins with nudists and people leaving things in lockers without locks, it was generally a good run.
• 5:33 p.m. Jewel-Osco - Free.  After running my other errands, I had completely run out of things to do before dropping off my table in Lakeview.  Thankfully Coinstar takes forever so I was able to kill the last of the waiting time.  After this, my car was empty of all but my last few boxes.
• 7:35 p.m. Bombay Kebab - $6.00.  While it doesn't look like I spent much using this Groupon, an extra $100.00 will need to be tacked on because I got pulled over for looking at my GPS on the way there.  Now I deserve a distracted driving ticket out of karma for all the actual time I've done it, but this pissed me off.  Oh well, parting present to Chicago's coffer for stripping myself from their tax base, I guess.

MONDAY, MAY 2 ($315.53)

• 10:09 a.m. U.S. Post Office - Clemente Branch - $23.01.  Try as I might, there were just certain things that I could not fit in my luggage and that I didn't want to get rid of.  While most of it will go immediately into storage, I had to ship it anyway.  Thankfully it was most soft and fluffy things that are light.
• 10:54 a.m. North Community Bank - Free.  After the huge lines at the post office, I was amazed how quickly my wrapping up at the bank was.  Though I was met with a bit of bad news.  CTA had taken my monthly pass out that morning even though I hadn't used my card.  So I have to wait for a check from them in the mail and was $86 less in my bank account.
• 11:33 a.m. Hot Doug's - Free.  My sister treated me to a last meal in Chicago and my friend showed up as well.  I got my usual three veggie dogs.  I'm going to miss this place a lot.  I need to figure out where the equivalent place is around my new digs.
• 12:22 p.m. Chicago Public Library - Logan Square Branch - Free.  I returned the book that I had meant to read for One Book, One Chicago but barely started.  It's ironic that I will read more of it far away from Chicago than I ever read there.
• 1:11 p.m. Midway Citgo - $31.82.  Somehow I think I returned my car with more gas than was given to me based on how quickly it had dropped to 3/4 of a tank.  Still, even though there were no cheap gas stations around Midway, I filled it up.  Better than in the city.
• 1:33 p.m. Alamo National Car Rental - Free.  Again there were no additional charges since I paid for CDW. Though I didn't do anything bad to any car or any deer this time.
• 1:56 p.m. Chicago Midway International Airport - $224.70.  I had forgotten how much less of a pain that Midway was than O'Hare.  Security was easy.  There was no huge distances to the gate.  If I hadn't left my driver's license inside security, it would have been painless.  They found it right before my plane was scheduled to lift off though.
• 5:20 p.m. Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport - Free.  The greatest thing was that I found the shuttle to the Amtrak station extremely easily.  Though I didn't really have time to do anything else since my plane landed about 30 minutes before the train was scheduled to leave.
• 6:05 p.m. BWI Amtrak/MARC Station - $36.00.  I took what I thought was the direct route by taking the Amtrak.  What I didn't know was that there was a 30 minute layover at Union Station.  So I paid twice as much to save about 30 minutes and a transfer.  Oh well.  I am new here.
• 7:54 p.m. Woodbridge Amtrak - Free.  While it doesn't feel like home yet, this was officially when I arrived with three heavy bags of luggage.  Hopefully I won't leave with that much.  Or on a train.  I am really going to need a car before I move again.

So that's $557.51.  But with that huge number, all of my moving fees are done.  I can't foresee a week costing nearly that much until after I have a job.  Well, I guess if I buy a car with a huge down payment.  Even then, I'll need a job to get financing.  I guess I'll be living on the cheap here in suburban Virginia.  Since there's not very many places I can get with the bus, I won't be able to get in too much trouble anyhow.  My total money spent since I've been unemployed is $3628.93.

How I Spent The Sixteenth Week Of The Rest Of My Life

Even though I'm typing this from my sister's place in Humboldt Park, I am no longer a resident of Chicago.  At midnight, my Chicago address is no longer associated to me.  I'm down to two Groupons (Cafe LaGuardia and Bombay Kebab) that I can realistically use and three more that I'll have to sell (shakes fist at Fireside Bowl).

Not that this means that I don't have a crapload to do before I board the plane tomorrow.  I actually rented a car yesterday and today since there was no way I could lug all of the stuff that I need to donate around otherwise (it's going to be hard enough to deal with two backpacks and a suitcase).  And I still have to do things like cancel my bank account (that's one way to put my loans on deferment) and gym membership (I made the hundred visits with a few days to spare on my birthday).

Still, since I'm a week behind again, I thought I might as well type out my expenses for moving to Washington D.C.  It honestly feels like a month ago after wrestling a futon down three flights of stairs yesterday.  It will be good to get these receipts out of my wallet finally regardless.  I've probably had an hour to spare before this but I left my modem in my last rental car.  That's one more thing to cancel.

Here's how I "spent" last week:

TUESDAY, APRIL 19 ($108.34)

• 6:46 a.m. Walgreens - $10.61.  I couldn't believe that after the night of bowling before, I was able to wake up so early and pack my remaining stuff in the car.  But one thing that did was make me thirsty.  I needed to buy water.  While I was there I also purchased travel sized shampoo and Q-Tips.  And kleenex.  I left stocked.
• 10:32 a.m. Gas America - $44.09.  With all the talk of gas prices, I was worried at what it would cost to fill up my little Nissan Versa rental.  It turned out to be not that bad at all.  Well, I mean, in comparison to what I thought it would be.  That is a little costly for gas.
• 12:53 p.m. Indianapolis Art Center - Free.  While it was a lot like Lillistreet in Chicago but with a gallery attached, their sculpture garden, Artpark was amazing.  I stopped there to see the famous crooked house.  It took a while to find, but this was my most worthwhile detour.
• 1:54 p.m. Waffle House - $6.00.  The entire time I was planning my adventures in moving, one destination stuck in my mind.  I needed to go to the closest Waffle House to Chicago.  That's actually on the other side of Indianapolis from this one.  But the first one I reached was good enough.  And the grits and cheap price reminded me why I love this chain so much.
• 7:22 p.m. Taco Bell - $6.27.  While I stopped at a couple of rest stops along the way (which really don't even have details with which to bore people), my car seemed to have infinite amounts of gas.  I, however, did not.  So my favorite bit of road food absolutely hit the spot in southeastern Ohio.
• 8:00 p.m. Love's Travel Stop - $41.37.  Gas prices were surprisingly cheap heading into the mountains.  This station was in Zanesville, Ohio.  That's pretty much the edge of civilization.  The stops were getting to be 5 and 10 miles apart and most of them had BPs.  I was trying to avoid chain gas stations (and especially BPs).  But my car was running on fumes by this point.
• 10:06 p.m. I-70 Rest Area - Free.  I only mention this rest stop because it was where I slept.  I hadn't intended it to be.  I was just going to take a nap in far western Pennsylvania before pushing on south to get a cheap hotel.  But when I woke up at 2:15 p.m., I just decided to go back to sleep.  It wasn't too bad.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20 ($67.64)

• 9:57 a.m. Ruff Creek General Store - $2.38.  Instead of getting my daily water at a Walgreens (or any other chain store), I got it at this store that's been operating continuously since 1925.  Sleeping at the Pennsylvania Welcome Center did give me a chance to pick up a cool brochure on all of these general stores.  I only hit up this one though - even though I had some time to kill.
• 11:17 a.m. Poky Dot - $15.00.  The portions at this famous (at least in northern West Viriginia) diner are legendarily gigantic.  They have a He-Man Breakfast that has about 10 items.  I settled for a smaller skillet since I wasn't that hungry.  It was still enormous.
• 11:49 a.m. Coal Country Miniature Golf - $5.30.  This was the one tourist trap that I did not want to miss on my journey, so it was helpful that they opened slightly early.  It was everything that I had hoped for in this course.  It was challenging and slightly kitschy.  And I was a minor celebrity.  Since I had posted on Facebook in advance that I was coming, they had a little sign out for me.
• 3:54 p.m. Weller's Service And Lube Center - $40.00.  The fact that I only had to get one tank of gas between Pittsburgh and Washington D.C. (and I didn't even top it off since I paid cash) astounded me.  Gas turned out to be relatively cheap in Maryland as well.
• 6:15 p.m. Taco Bell - $4.96.  I dillied and dallied a bit (but the mini-golf was worth it) which caused me to hit the D.C. area right about the time of rush hour.  GPS took me on a strange route which took me directly from western Maryland to metropolitan Virginia.  I had to stop at this Bell in Manassas because I was going to pass out otherwise.  The bad thing was that I missed the storage place's office closing by about 30 minutes.

 THURSDAY, APRIL 21 ($151.34)

• 11:44 a.m. Extra Space Storage - $82.34.  One expense that I forgot to account for was my storage's first month's fees.  And this trip took far longer than I thought it would with signing contracts and such.  The actual moving in only took about 20 minutes.  Still, since no one was home in New York City to let me in, it was probably good that I got there late.
• 3:03 p.m. Maryland I-95 North Welcome Center - $2.00.  The one bad thing about getting a late start was that I had planned on eating lunch before I left Virginia.  This was curtailed by the fact that by the time I was done, I really just wanted to get going.  I hit the worst traffic I had ever seen between Washington D.C. and Baltimore and before I realized it, it was almost dinner time.  I needed these snacks to avoid passing out.
• 4:59 p.m. Waffle House - Elkton - $7.00.  After hitting the Waffle House closest to Chicago, I hit the one closest to New York City.  At least by my unofficial calculations.  It's definitely the last one on I-95 North just before the Delaware border.
• 6:03 p.m. Pilot Travel Center - $47.50.  I took the bridge to bypass Philadelphia which meant that, ironically, even though the plates on my car were Delaware, it was the only state I didn't set foot in.  I also did not get out of the car in Washington D.C.  This station was in far southern New Jersey.  Since I was so tired I couldn't move when I got to New York City, this was actually my last real stop of the night.
• 7:40 p.m. Grover Cleveland Service Center - $12.50.  I didn't actually spend any money inside the center.  This was for the tolls on the New Jersey Turnpike and bridges into New York City.  This place is on the 100 worst places in the world, but it didn't seem that bad to me.

FRIDAY, APRIL 22 ($103.50)

• 10:16 a.m. Bronx Zoo - $22.50.  The zoo admission was $16.00, but when I saw that it would take almost two hours to get there by train, I drove.  I street parked for free to make up for it.  Sort of.  The zoo was absolutely amazing.  I had never seen such active animals.  Although the famous cobra that escaped was a bit sleepy.
• 1:54 p.m. Emilia's Restaurant - $16.00.  Of all the places I could have chose along Arthur Avenue in The Bronx (that borough's Little Italy), I chose this kind of iffy one because it had lunch specials.  There was absolutely nothing special about my gnocchi.
• 5:09 p.m. Caffe Muzio - $33.00.  The actual meal was $20.00, but getting there was the expense.  I ended up using a parking meter and putting $10.00 on a MTA card when I had to park in the East Village after circling the West Village for a while.  Since we knew the chef, however, there were some good freebies.  Our amazing spread probably would have been about that for normal people.
• 9:41 p.m. The Bell House - $26.00.  I had bought my ticket to the Seaweed reunion a while before.  But still within my time of unemployment so it counts.  It was not that odd that my most expensive day of the trip (without moving expenses) was my vacation day in New York City.
• 1:06 a.m. Commonwealth - $6.00.  This is supposed to be one of Brooklyn's best bars.  I was so beat that it just seemed like any other place to me.  My loss I think.

SATURDAY, APRIL 23 ($83.77)

• 12:55 p.m. Museum Of The Moving Image - $17.50.  Technically it was on my way out of the city anyhow, but I've been meaning to get to this museum in Queens.  I ended up eating lunch there to save time as I took a guided tour.  I need to come back on a free day and just explore exhibits the next time I'm in New York.
• 5:38 p.m. Citgo - $51.00.  This was my only stop at a corporate gas station the entire trip.  Which was ironic since every restaurant in this little city, Rock Hill, in the Catskills was independent.  At least it was a Citgo and not something horrible.  This also includes the Triboro Bridge which I had to cross to get out of New York City.  I will be glad to not pay another congestion charge the rest of the way.
• 5:45 p.m. Rock Hill Diner - $7.00.  The entire town of Rock Hill seemed to be owned by one family of hippies.  There was a pizza place across the street, but I was in a diner mood so I had an egg salad sandwich.  It was almost my last chance for New York City food.  Everyone else in the place seemed to be transplanted New York City people.
• 6:05 p.m. Peace Love And Ice Cream - $3.00.  If the name of this place doesn't give away the mood of the town, I'm not sure what would.  I got an Italian Ice which was the other thing I forgot to do in New York.  I definitely left happy.
• 11:43 p.m. Junius Rest Area - $2.27.  New York is far bigger than I thought it was.  Especially after I got delayed when I hit a deer.  It was apparently okay (as was my car) since the cops never found a carcass.  But I needed donuts to keep going as I was nowhere near Niagara Falls.
• 1:41 a.m. Clarence Travel Plaza - $3.00.  Another rest stop was my hotel for the night.  This time, however, my back seat was clear so it was totally comfortable.  The odd thing was, since it was on the Thruway (the last stop before Niagara Falls), I wasn't sure if it was going to be free.  It ended up just being the usual Thruway toll.

SUNDAY, APRIL 24 ($118.50)

• 7:01 a.m. Valero - $45.76.  I was glad that this place was self serve without being open since I got such an early start.  My car was again almost empty since I waited until I was off the Thruway (all the stations were BP) before I filled up.
• 8:07 a.m. Whirlpool State Park - Free.  Getting to Niagara Falls before everything (except the casino) was open was weird.  I ended up just scoping out the parks for a bit.  This one had a great view of the rapids leading to the falls.
• 8:45 a.m. Niagara Falls State Park - Free.  Parking was ordinarily $10.00 but there's one scenic turnoff by Three Sisters Islands that served my American side viewing perfectly.  I forgot that the Canadian side viewing was better and that I should have just crossed the bridge.
• 9:55 a.m. Daredevil Museum - $5.00.  This museum is free since there's not a lot to it.  Except the displays of actual craft used to go over the falls are pretty awesome.  So I donated the change from my water (as well as rounding up with another couple of dollars) to the museum.
• 11:08 a.m. Criminals Hall Of Fame Wax Museum - $8.40.  This museum was the one of many in Niagara Falls on the Canadian side that was recommended by Roadside America.  It was a bit disappointing except for the creepy clown serial killer.  It looked a little too real.  The Foursquare discount made it $5.40, but I've also included the bridge fare.
• 12:20 p.m. The Flying Saucer - $11.00.  Even though both of the last two things were in Canadian money, I'm going to call them American on par.  The food here was amazing even if the alien aspect was a little understated.
• 2:48 p.m. Highway 401 West Rest Area - $4.00.  The fee is actually the Ambassador Bridge to get back into the United States as this was my only stop the rest of the way in Canada.  I ended up taking a nap as I was really tired from the day before.
• 7:36 p.m. Meijer Gas Station - $44.34.  I was thankful that I didn't have to deal with Canadian fuel costs (I don't understand liters).  This was my first stop in the United States and in my parent's hometown.
• 8:23 p.m. Mr. Thai - Free.  My parents paid for dinner at a Thai place by their apartment.  I wasn't super impressed but they both really loved it, so I'm glad they found a new restaurant.

MONDAY, APRIL 25 ($17.00)

• 1:10 p.m. Stage Deli - $17.00.  I can't believe how popular this place is since it never fails to disappoint me.  This time I got an egg salad sandwich and a knish and neither tasted very good.  Plus my waiter seemed like it was his first day on the job.
• 3:46 p.m. Men's Warehouse - Free.  My parents bought me a sport coat for my birthday.  This was a lifesaver since I needed one badly before I interviewed in Washington D.C.  And they are not exactly cheap.
• 5:44 p.m. Mayberry's Family Restaurant - Free.  Every Monday, my uncle and grandfather go to dinner at this diner in Farmington Hills.  It actually turned out to be one of my favorite meals of the trip.  The portions are huge.  Though how an Andy Griffith theme restaurant ended up in Metro Detroit, I will never know.

So that's $650.09.  That's about $50.00 over what I planned to spend to move (plus another $50.00 or so that I spent on Monday of this week), but pretty close to accurate (thanks to not staying in hotels).  And the cool things that I saw made it all worthwhile regardless.  Since I'm all done with driving long distances for a while, I'll even say that it saved me money in the long run.  My total money spent since I've been unemployed is $3721.91.

How I Spent The Fifteenth Week Of The Rest Of My Life

The best news is that even though I haven't blogged in a week, I'm still very much alive and well.  The second best news is that all of my stuff is living in Woodbridge, Virginia (even if I am not quite there yet).  The third best news is that my parents want my old television for the second bedroom (and that my new roommates are giving me an old TV once I get my own place).  We'll see how the logistics on that one work out.  The fourth best news is that this driving has killed my desire to be anywhere but home (no matter where that is) for a while.

The other good news this week is that I'm starting to hear back from some of the jobs I've applied for in Washington D.C.  Both of them have been rejection letters, but at least it's something (though today I got rejected from the Health and Human Services job I really wanted).  I like how the government handles the wording.  It reads as follows:

"We have reviewed your application and found you qualified for the position listed above.  However, you were not among the most highly qualified candidates. Therefore, your name will not be referred to the employing agency at this time."


So at least I know I'm not barking up the wrong tree here seeking jobs.  And now that I can put that I'm immediately available and at a Virginia address, it should help in the process. 


Right now, I'm resting at my parents' apartment in Michigan before heading the final 200 miles or so home.  So I finally have a chance to add up last week's receipts.  Just in time for tomorrow.  I've spent about $100 a day including the car so it's pretty much been like my vacation to Wisconsin Dells this week.  But way more productive and interesting.  I just want to say that Niagara Falls (Ontario at least) is what Wisconsin Dells probably once was.


Here's how I "spent" last week:


TUESDAY, APRIL 12 ($31.37)

• 2:00 p.m. Aldi - Milwaukee - $16.37.  Buying exactly one week's worth of groceries was challenging when it wasn't my only option.  When it was, I ended up not knowing what to buy.  Especially since some of my meals would be on Groupon this week.
• 7:34 p.m. High Dive - $15.00.  Part of the problem was that I didn't know how many times I was actually going to eat at home.  While I could have done so with my new groceries, I knew this would be my last chance to renew an old Tuesday night tradition.  It was definitely worth the extra money.  A lot of people I hadn't seen in a long time showed up.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13 ($29.65)

• 1:55 p.m. Bubbleland - $4.65.  This one cost a little more than usual because, knowing that I would have to lug pretty much every piece of clothing that I owned here, I bought a laundry bag.  I ended up finding out that my landlady had fixed my washer and this was horribly unnecessary.
• 4:53 p.m. Cactus Bar & Grill - $15.00.  While it was odd to go to a going away party that wasn't my own, it was good that I did since I saw a lot of the people that I wanted to say goodbye to.
• 10:07 p.m. Bottom Lounge - $6.00.  The party continued after it moved.  But I only got one beer at the second location.
• 11:02 p.m. Cole's - $4.00.  And then the party moved back to Logan Square.  Thankfully, although I was plenty drunk by this time, I was together enough not to fall completely into an alcoholic money trap.

THURSDAY, APRIL 14 ($32.60)

• 11:25 a.m. McCormick Tribune YMCA - Free.  I don't know if this was just mental, but having not been to the gym in three weeks made my bags feel heavier it seemed.  Even moving heavy boxes didn't seem to make up for it.
• 1:17 p.m. Cemitas Pueblas - $8.60.  Even though this place is on the foodie radar, I had never been there since it was so close to my gym.  I didn't worry about the calories as much as it didn't seem that special to me since it was so convenient.  It ended up being really worthwhile as the cemita nearly made me pass out (in a good way) due to all the cheese.
• 1:48 p.m. Logan Theater - $4.00.  Even though I knew my quest to see a movie there each week was drawing to a close, I decided to see a movie this week anyhow.  The King's Speech was playing and I hadn't seen it yet.  It didn't turn out to be quite as boring as I expected.  But I still found it a little dry.  Either way, I was less of a heathen after seeing it.
• 10:51 p.m. Lincoln Hall - $20.00.  Buffalo Tom is playing Washington D.C. on the day that I'm supposed to arrive there.  But knowing that I would probably be delayed in some way, at the last second I decided to see them in Chicago.  And I mean last minute.  I got there exactly two minutes before their set time.  Their new stuff was good, but they might have played a little too much of it.

FRIDAY, APRIL 15 ($12.00)

• 11:48 a.m. Pizzeria Uno - $2.00.  I bought a Groupon for a pizza tour a long time ago.  I ended up getting slices from two pizzerias I love (this one and Giordano's, neither of which we went inside of.  And Pizzeria Ora which was actually my favorite.  The guide was amazing, but $2.00 was all I had in ones.  It wasn't the tip he deserved for his fount of knowledge, but I hope he understood.
• 3:44 p.m. McCormick Tribune YMCA - Free.  Going two days in a row felt a little foreign to me even though it had become a habit.  I figured it would be easy to squeeze in before my birthday festivities.  I forgot to account for nap time.
• 6:35 p.m. Myopic Books - Free.  My second haul at Myopic was larger and turned out to get me much closer to my goal of raising $80.00 as well.  In this case, I sold back $43.00 of books.  Though I still felt like I should have gotten a little more out of the deal.
• 7:24 p.m. The Boiler Room - $5.00.  Another place that I had never been because it was so close to home was this one.  That's why I decided to hold my going away party there.  I ended up getting there first and buying one drink.  I know there were a few more and really good pizza as well.
• 11:22 p.m. Cole's - $5.00.  It was not surprising at all that my going away party ended up here.  And that I got even more drunk.  But I bought only one drink.  Though I may have had more than that.

SATURDAY, APRIL 16 ($22.36)

• 10:50 a.m. Chicago Public Library - Logan Square Branch - $0.40.  Another day late on two more books.  This was my first check-in on Foursquare Day and I felt it somewhat appropriate that I got the Foursquare Day badge at the same place where I had gotten the Super Mayor badge.  Even if I had to "pay" for it.
• 11:51 a.m. McCormick Tribune YMCA - Free.  Even though I knew I had to be somewhere at 2:30 p.m., I thought I had plenty of time to get there.  I didn't rush my workout or anything.  So before I knew it, it was 1:45 p.m.  Oops.
• 2:31 p.m. Record Breakers - Free.  Somehow I managed to get all the way down to the south side of Chicago from Humboldt Park just in time.  But my friend's band started early and was already well into my set when I got there.  Either way, it was good to see them.
• 4:33 p.m. Ian's Pizza - Wrigleyville - $5.50.  Even though I had yet to eat and was feeling really ill, I decided to check another place off of my Chicago bucket list on this day.  I got their lasagna pizza and their macaroni and cheese pizza.  Neither of them were great, but they were both interesting.
• 5:18 p.m. Best Buy - $16.46.  By this point, I felt like I was going to throw up so I knew I needed to go home.  But first I wanted to buy a car charger for my phone.  I knew that without it, GPS would be a losing proposition.  I also wanted to buy a radio trasmitter to listen to my MP3s, but those were far too expensive.

SUNDAY, APRIL 17 ($3.68)

• 1:46 p.m. Square Bar & Grill - Free.  Since I had a Groupon, the person that I went with treated me to the rest of the bill.  This was actually the sixth meal in a row that I had pizza for.  And it was one of the best.  Their Mexican pizza tasted just like nachos on a really good crust.
• 3:28 p.m. Home Depot - $3.68.  I ran out of boxes again.  Thankfully the person I went to lunch with was able to drive me to Home Depot.  She asked if I wanted more than five boxes.  I reluctantly said that five would be enough.  It turned out to be.

MONDAY, APRIL 18 ($351.20)

• 11:08 a.m. U.S. Post Office - Clemente Branch - $4.03.  Even though I had sent in my federal taxes quite a bit before, I waited until the last second to send in my state taxes.  I ended up doing them on Sunday night and am getting back about $20.00.  Usually I just donate it to charity, but I'm pretty much charity this year so I kept it.
• 2:19 p.m. T-Mobile - $32.91.  It turned out the the power cord I had bought two days before was for computers and not for phones.  So I needed to go to T-Mobile on my way to pick up my rental car to make sure I got the correct one.  It was twice as much but would be far more useful.
• 2:49 p.m. Podhalanka - $18.00.  In another attempt to get good Polish food before I move to a place where there isn't much, I stopped short of downtown on the way to pick up the car.  The server was so pushy on the extras that I was almost offended when I got the bill.  I fell for the same trick a year before, so it's my own fault.
• 3:56 p.m. Alamo Car Rental - $296.26.  When I got to the rental car place and found out I had got a hatchback I was a little worried about fitting everything.  But it had Delaware plates so I took that as a sign that it would all work out since it would almost be like driving a local car.
• 5:06 p.m. Jewel-Osco - Free.  This was another errand in which I actually made money. Using their Coinstar machine, I pretty much got $45.00 of cash to spend for gas on the way to Washington D.C.  Although I was reluctant to spend it in anything but an emergency in the back of my mind.
• 8:20 p.m. Fireside Bowl - Free.  Using the first of my Fireside Bowl Groupons, me and two other people were able to bowl two games.  I won the second by two pins.  As I mentioned in the last post, I figured this was a good omen to leave Chicago after.

So that's $482.86.  But over 60% of that was the rental car (an even higher percentage if you count the car electronics that I bought (part of which will be refunded).  That was also a large plurality of my moving expenses before I ever left Chicago as well.  My savings are starting to get a little low so it's good that I'm moving to a place with minimal rent.  Especially since it's a place where I can actually hit the pavement looking for work.  My total money spent since I've been unemployed is $3071.42.

My Time In Chicago Ends On A Winning Note

I've never really had a problem with T.V.  I've never been an addict and I've never hated television.  I haven't had cable in years, but I do love certain T.V. shows (especially on Sunday night for anyone who reads my Twitter stream).  But now I have a problem with a T.V.  A slightly out of date but still really nice 26" Panasonic to be exact.  It's been my T.V. for about five years now.

The current dilemma of my very existence.

See the problem is it's not a flat screen so it takes up too much room in my rental car.  I can fit pretty much everything that I can possibly need in there.  And I have.  Of the 15 boxes, I have stuffed 6 in the trunk and all but 4 more in the back seat without even using the seat itself.  The problem is that something is going to have to ride shotgun.  And, well, have this T.V. next to me for the duration of the trip is worrisome.  I could put it in the back but if I stack more than one box in the passenger seat, it too could fall over on my during the long trip.

So I think I'll be leaving my television behind when I depart semi-permanently tomorrow for the Washington D.C. environs.

When I first picked up my Nissan Versa, I was wondering if I could fit anything inside it at all.  But I had faith since the last time I moved, it was with a similarly sized Plymouth Breeze.  My only worry was that it was a hatchback and didn't have a full trunk.  When I said I had 15 boxes, the cashier stared at me and said, "you should have gotten something bigger than a compact.  But I think anything smaller than a gas guzzling full size would not have fit this T.V. so I'm not going to worry about it since that was $115.00 more.  And, like I said, this T.V. is out of date.

But awesome!  Does anybody want to buy it for like $40?

Anyhow, my last day in Chicago was mostly spent packing.  But I did go bowling at the Fireside Bowl tonight and in the final game, I beat one of my peeps 131 to 129.  I think that's a good omen.  That and I got over $45 from the Coinstar machine.  So my first two tanks of gas are paid for by an American Express gift card I got from my old job and that.  Or, well, most of a tank of gas.  The T.V. wouldn't even pay for a third.

The last bit of good news was that since it's Spring Break in Fairmount, WV, Coal Country Mini-Golf is open from noon to 8.  That means if I don't make it the first day, I won't blow the second day if I do it first thing (since it's about 4.5 hours from my new home).  But this means I don't have to leave at the butt crack of dawn.  If I want to wait until 10:00 a.m. to avoid traffic, I totally can do that as well.

It's off to sleep now either way.  My little car with the Delaware plates (another bit of win today) will be off in the morning for greener (and less snowy) pastures.

How I Spent The Fourteenth Week Of The Rest Of My Life

While I haven't done as much as I feel that I should to get ready to leave over the last week, the boxes are nearly full.  Only random clothing lines my floor that reminds me that I still need to go to the laundromat a few more times.  And only the fact that the boxes that are filled (eight of them) feel heavier reminds me that I haven't gone to the gym as much as I should have.

I just keep saying to myself that I still have the weekend to get stuff done.  But even then, my Saturday is pretty full.  Sunday I have vowed to lock myself in my apartment except to use a Groupon and to go to the laundromat.  All that is really left is sorting through pictures and CDs and trying to make them fit in smaller boxes by leaving behind the ones I never listen to.  But much like my books, so many of them have sentimental value that this might take some time.

And I have my going away party planned for tomorrow night.  And I still have to sell back some books over both days!

Just thinking about this weekend, I feel like I *shouldn't* go to Buffalo Tom tonight.  Especially since they're playing in Boston on the day that I get there for good (April 30th) for the same price as Chicago.  I just worry that if I don't see them today, something will come up and I won't get to the Black Cat (how awesome is it that the Black Cat and the 9:30 Club are going to be my new Metros?) in time for their show and miss them both places.

Anyhow, I figure I'll play it this way.  If I'm able to get this entry done quickly, I'll go.  If I'm not, I'll consider it as sign that I wasn't supposed to go tonight and I'll just go in D.C.

So I might as well start.

Here's how I "spent" last week:

TUESDAY, APRIL 5 ($93.98)

• 11:38 a.m. McCormick Tribune YMCA - Free.  Since I was in the gym "zone" (my goodness, I'm starting to talk like someone who's into fitness) before my trip to the Wisconsin Dells, I didn't want to lose this before leaving.  Plus I knew that I'd be really busy when I got back and might not have time for as many times.
• 1:41 p.m. Taco Bell (Oglivie Food Court) - $5.40.  I couldn't go as close to this Taco Bell as I was and not purchase something.  Even though I knew it might make for a long train ride.
• 2:17 p.m. Chicago Union Station - $35.00.  The price on the ticket absolutely amazed me.  Compared to my other transportation possibilities, it seemed like an absolute steal.  Other people thought the same and there was a huge line.  The train ended up leaving quite late.
• 6:20 p.m. Wisconsin Dells Amtrak Station - Free.  Much like I pictured it, there was quite a bit of the Dells that was easy to walk to when I first got off the train.  This did not stop cab drivers from waiting at the station right when the train pulled in.  Their minimum charge is $10.  I decided just to walk across the bridge to my hotel.
• 6:49 p.m. Days Inn - $44.86.  Being the off-season, the hotel room was pretty darn cheap.  And I think the whirlpool alone on this first night was worth the price.  The clerk looked shocked that I didn't drive and inquired about the train to Chicago and said he might take it himself the other direction.
• 8:51 p.m. Culvers - $8.72. Even though I had passed them in the suburbs a lot of times, I had never stopped at a Culvers in Illinois.  Wisconsin, however, is where they're from and there was one a couple of blocks from the hotel.  I got the fish and, honestly, I wasn't impressed.  But at least I can say I've been there now.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6 ($114.16)

• 10:09 a.m. Out Of The Woods - Free.  Everything seems to open late during the off-season in the Dells except for the trinket stores.  This figurine shop was about the nicest thing that I saw open so I stopped in.  They had some beautiful stuff that I knew some people would enjoy, but I didn't want to buy it yet.
• 10:27 a.m. Wisconsin Dells Visitors & Convention Bureau - Free.  I thought I had studied a lot before leaving for the Dells, but a visit here proved me wrong.  There were brochures of places I hadn't even heard of.  I grabbed a bunch.
• 11:06 a.m. Dells RiverWalk - Free.  For the second time in 24 hours, I got looked at like I was from another planet when I told the ticket seller for the Dells Boats that I walked.  She gave me this weird way to get to the boat by foot.  But since it was right there, I took the RiverWalk which led me right to the boat.  The views of the Wisconsin River were impressive - and free.
• 12:25 p.m. The Sandwich Shop - $6.30.  It was starting to get hot, so I dropped my jacket off back at the hotel.  This didn't leave me much time to eat before boarding the boat.  This little shop on Broadway was great and had a great and quick cheese sandwich.  Not surprising for Wisconsin.
• 1:07 p.m. Dells Boat Tours - $18.00.  The lower boat tour wasn't open for the year yet, so this was actually half a combination with the ducks.  I enjoyed this part much more as it was slow and scenic.  And the rock formations made me glad that I had gone.
• 2:56 p.m. Original Wisconsin Ducks - $18.00.  Don't know why people love these so much.  I needed a Jesus handle the entire time I was riding it.  Half the time I couldn't hear the driver's bad jokes over the roar of the engine.  Oh well, now I've done the stereotypical tour of the Lower Dells.  I think one friend of mine wouldn't have talked to me if I hadn't.
• 7:05 p.m. High Rock Cafe - $21.00.  This was the absolute best place that I ate my entire time in the Wisconsin Dells.  It's a fancier place with two stories on Broadway that specializes in southwestern cuisine.  I got some Wisconsin's Pride pasta with three cheeses on top and it was possibly the best pasta I've ever had.
• 8:39 p.m. The Sand Bar - $6.00.  The coupon book that I had bought hadn't been used the entire first 24 hours that I had been in the Dells.  I didn't expect a bar to be the first place.  But it was buy a drink and get one free.  I sat in the bar and conversed with Brewers fans while watching the game.  It was certainly interesting to see where the locals hang out.
• 11:25 p.m. Days Inn - $44.86.  After a full day, it was back to the hotel and to the whirlpool.  That whirlpool made all of the loud noises in the night worthwhile.  They really need to do something about the insulation there.

THURSDAY, APRIL 7 ($94.21)

• 10:03 a.m. Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty - $12.60.  A peep of mine said that I couldn't leave the Dells without trying this place either.  It appeared to only be accessible by car when I searched it on the map, but it turned out there was one by my hotel that I missed.  Eating there felt just like camping.  Except it was heated and there were no bugs.
• 11:49 a.m. Pirate's Cove - $10.75.  This was the moment I had come to the Dells for.  Mini-golf!  This was the only course that was open, but it was great.  I used a coupon to get two rounds and the first got so warm that I had to go back to the hotel to drop off my jacket.  It was a gorgeous day and I got three hole in ones.  The course was pretty forgiving.
• 3:00 p.m. Glockenspiel - Free.  After mini-golf, the time spent waiting for my brother seemed like an eternity. I timed it perfectly so I had done everything I wanted to do before he got there.  This, however, was the height of boredom.  I didn't even stay until it did the Pied Piper of Hamlin skit.  I'm not even sure it worked.
• 3:26 p.m. Monk's Bar & Grill - $14.00.  All of the bars in downtown Wisconsin Dells look seedy from the outside.  Inside, however, they're not.  This was the perfect case in point with the perfect veggie burger.  It also turned out to be perfect timing since my brother called as I was walking home from it.
• 5:34 p.m. Moosejaw Pizza & Brewing Company - $12.00.  This place was kind of crap.  They had crap pizza.  They had great beer though.  As the Dells area's only microbrewery they did a great job on the Raspberry Creme Ale.  I should have read the Yelp reviews and avoided it.
• 7:51 p.m. Days Inn - $44.86.  Going back to the hotel this early almost felt like defeat.  But my brother had worked all day and I wasn't in the mood to go exploring for another bar.  Plus I had spent more than enough money for the third day in a row.

FRIDAY, APRIL 8 ($121.86)

• 11:44 a.m. Buffalo Phil's Pizza & Grille - $12.00.  They're the sister bar of Moosejaw so I don't know why I expected any better.  They had an all you can eat pasta bar that was acceptable.  I guess.  At least it was a lot of carbs with which to bowl.
• 1:41 p.m. Knuckleheads Bowling & Indoor Amusement Park - $22.00.  My brother caught this Groupon and said it was what he wanted to do.  And bowling there was a blast.  The lanes were very forgiving and I got a 168 - my highest score in a very long time.  The beer was good. It should be since it was Moosejaw's.  They own this too.
• 7:46 p.m. Mexicali Rose - $22.00.  When my brother finally got hungry from the all you can eat buffet again, we couldn't decide where to go.  We decided on a little cafe near the hotel.  It wasn't open, so we went to the Mexican restaurant next door.  And my goodness it was awful.  And expensive.  But at least the portions were big.
• 9:48 p.m. Captain Brady's Showboat Saloon - $5.00.  This was the first place I saw that called to me when I got off the train.  Walking in on a DJ night, the crowd was positively wild.  It reminded me of Wrigleyville.  But in the Dells, this familiarity was a good thing.
• 11:11 p.m. Days Inn - $60.86.  The hotel started to fill up once the weekend finally arrived.  There was even a creepy guy listening loudly to 70s music by the whirlpool.  But I didn't let him freak me out since I needed it.

SATURDAY, APRIL 9 ($82.71)

• 9:40 a.m. Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty - Free.  My brother paid for breakfast since I had paid for dinner the night before.  It was every bit as good the second time.  I have to say that I'm kind of a Paul Bunyan's addict at this point.
• 10:25 a.m. Out Of The Woods - $20.23.  I ended up buying a couple of the trinkets that I had priced on the first day.  This was in spite of the fact that I overspent in the days inbetween.
• 10:40 a.m. Goody Goody Gumdrop - $3.88.  Even though I knew it as supposed to be kitschy, I could not pass up a candy store with this name.  I ended up buying salt water taffy.  I'm sure it wasn't even local to the Dells, but it tasted good.
• 11:27 a.m. Aunt Jenny's Got It All Store - $1.60.  This was in the parking lot of the hotel and in the coupon book.  It was half price for any magnet.  I had tried to avoid buying trinkets but this one I could live with as all of my refrigerator magnets were already in a baggie and this would fit right in.
• 11:54 a.m. Wisconsin Dells Amtrak Stop - $45.00.  The way home was a bit more money since it was on a weekend.  And it was a beautiful day so another mini-golf place had decided to open.  Unfortunately, I couldn't afford another night in the Dells so I boarded the replacement bus for my broken train.
• 3:03 p.m. Milwaukee Amtrak Station - Free.  The bus arrived just in time to catch the Hiawatha Train from Milwaukee to Chicago.  I liked this train.  It had power outlets for a laptop.  Or a phone in my case.
• 4:42 p.m. Chicago Union Station - Free.  I fought off the urge to get more Taco Bell.  And I went home and took a nap.  The vacation was both restful (especially the whirlpool) and exhausting at the same time.
• 10:09 p.m. Small Bar Fullerton - $12.00.  Originally, I had planned to stay in the Dells over a weekend, but I got home early in order to go to a birthday party.  And it was worth it.  Really fun.  Although I ended up eating for only the second time that day at it.  That probably wasn't a good idea.

SUNDAY, APRIL 10 ($13.83)

• 12:33 p.m. Brookfield Zoo - $4.72.  One of my peeps had a membership to the zoo so my only expense was getting there.  I missed the Metra, so I ended up taking the Pink Line there.  It was more scary than any animal from the zoo on the loose.  Still, it was a great time and I got back to the city surprisingy early.  I did spend money at the Taco Bell drive through though.
• 3:33 p.m. Home Depot - $9.11.  My worst fear was realized when I ran out of boxes again.  I bought packing material as well this time so I could start sealing things.

MONDAY, APRIL 11 ($22.13)

• 2:57 p.m. Falafill - $1.00.  Using a Groupon that I had bought a long time before, I managed to fill myself up after not eating all day nicely.  Their "topping bar" is huge.  Almost as great as Sultan Market's.
• 3:15 p.m. Walgreens - $4.93.  I was out of razors again and rather than grow a playoff beard, I decided to stop at this Walgreens right across the street from the restaurant.  And from my bank.
• 3:50 p.m. Borders - $12.30.  I couldn't help but go inside of this Borders one last time just to see what they had left.  It turned out they had signed copies of Ed Schultz's book at 80% off.  I could not pass that up.  I would have regretted it forever.  Then I bought another book on bucking the big box economy.  That felt a little ironic.
• 9:19 p.m. Bubbleland - $3.90.  The first of my sweater trips.  I own far too many sweaters.  But throwing them out or donating them isn't an option.  I love them too much!

So that's $542.88.  I don't even count this like a normal week since I was on vacation.  And considering that I set aside a $500.00 budget for the Wisconsin Dells, I managed to stay right around it.  I was hoping to beat it, but that was a pipe dream.  Looks like I didn't save myself $20.00 since I'm done long before Buffalo Tom will take the stage.  There are dozens of things I should be doing instead.  But, come on, it's Buffalo Tom!  My total money spent since I've been unemployed is $2588.56.

As My Boxes Get Organized, My Life Gets Disorganized

Were an alien to come down and have sorted through a large box (an air conditioner originally came in it) of my travel mementos, they might have thought that I was addicted to collecting worthless receipts.  Honestly, I keep the receipts from my travels to compile how much I actually spent.  Well, at least this is the idea.  I never actually went through the receipts to figure it out.  And I never looked at the brochures to write Trip Advisor reviews or to research future trips either.  So after throwing everything except for especially interesting maps (like a map of Eastern Europe bought in Romania), brochures from places I've *actually* gone, and train tickets (I am a huge train geek) all of these trips now fit in one layer of a small box.

From now on, I think whenever I take a trip, this is what I'm going to do.  It fits right in with my throw out or give away 60% to 70% of what I have before this move.

Just one bag from a trip to Manchester in 2006.

It's hard to believe that I'm renting my car one week from today already.  Judging by the state of my apartment, however, I'm right on pace to do it.  All of my trinkets are slowly finding their way into little baggies with like trinkets (it's amazing how many refrigerator magnets that I've collected over the years and how many different boxes they had found themselves in).  All of my clothes are slowly finding their way into boxes with like clothes (though I still haven't sorted all of my socks).

Now if only I could get all of the packing down in a rational manner while still doing everything else that I need to do before I leave outside my apartment.  Today I went all the way to Lakeview for no other reason than to use a Falafill Groupon.  And I ended up coming home with two more books from the Borders at Clark and Diversey (they're at 70% to 90% off now and closing in five days, I couldn't help it).

And that only scratches the surface.  I have seven or so more to use.

I've pretty much given up on my bucket list.  I'm just going with the flow to go wherever I'm invited whenever I'm invited to it.  Though since I'm in the packing "zone," I can't even guarantee I'll keep doing that.  My social life for the next week might be the laundromat as that's the biggest portion of what is not packed.

It's fitting that it's the 11th since it was the first day of my serious packing.  Hopefully I can finish this by Day 9 on the 19th because that's when I leave.  Well, back to packing now.  Progress is being made.  Maybe I can dig myself out of these piles sooner rather than later.

How I Spent The Thirteenth Week Of The Rest Of My Life

Now, I'm not entirely sure of this since I'm pretty tipsy right now, but I think (with hotel) that I spent over $100 today.  That's okay since I decided not to rent a car up here in the Wisconsin Dells for my mini-vacation.  It's been a fun time so far.  Today, I completely played tourist and took a combo of the Upper Dells by big boat and Lower Dells by Duck tour.

The second part was a pretty scary experience.  Why the Ducks don't come with Jesus handles, I'll never know.  I swear that while it was on land, I was too scared to enjoy the experience one bit.  But it came highly recommended (someone expressed shock that I would even think about *not* taking a Duck tour) and I can scratch that off of my bucket list.

And I got a picture that I really love out of the Upper Dells tour:

Worth the price of admission.

Tomorrow is all about the mini-golf.  In the end, I decided not to get a rental car and use the money toward dining and such instead.  It's a good thing that I did since, as I said, I blew through $100.  This has only put one crimp in my plans - since even the water parks are walkable.  I probably can't get down to the casino without wasting a bunch of money on a cab.  Oh well.  I'll stop at a casino on my move to Washington D.C. to make up for it.

Anyway, since I am on vacation and supposed to be enjoying myself (and I have been), I should probably get this blog entry out of the way.  If I didn't do it today, with my brother coming up tomorrow night, who knows when I would have.

Here's how I "spent" last week:

TUESDAY, MARCH 29 (Free)

• 3:03 p.m. McCormick Tribune YMCA - Free.  With my packing and sorting, I had kicked up a lot of dust.  This was something I felt in my sinuses as I went to the gym.  But I fought through it as I needed to reach 100.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30 ($20.24)

• 3:21 p.m. Leo's Coney Island - $8.00.  The reviews on Yelp, mainly from people from Chicago, were kind of mixed of this place.  As a native Detroiter (or the suburbs at least), I had to see if the bad reviews were correct.  It turned out to be an authentic Coney - which meant it had mediocre food.  But, in that respect, it absolutely felt like a real Coney brought to Chicago.
• 4:20 p.m. Home Depot - $4.41.  The boxes I had bought last week turned out to be too big the moment that I got them home.  I needed small boxes to replace them before I could do anything more as far as the move went.
• 7:48 p.m. McCormick Tribune YMCA - Free.  In order so I could pack all day on Thursday, I started to go into a mad rush to do all of my errands on Wednesday.  This was the first.
• 9:28 p.m. McDonald's - $3.83.  I spent longer at the gym than expected and couldn't do much of anything else except get ready to see my weekly movie.  I figured that a Filet-O-Fish was a better dinner than popcorn.  But barely.
• 9:43 p.m. Logan Theater - $4.00.  The move that I chose to see was Beastly.  It featured Mary Kate Olsen as a witch and was a telling of Beauty & The Beast set in a New York City prep school.  It was every bit as bad as those two factors would make it seem.

THURSDAY, MARCH 31 (Free)

FRIDAY, APRIL 1 ($23.44)

• 12:35 p.m. McCormick Tribune YMCA - Free.  I had made plans with a friend of mine from the suburbs to see him that evening before I left.  I had all morning to get to the gym but, of course, I waited until the early afternoon.
• 2:34 p.m. Chipotle Mexican Grill - $8.44.  Since I had waited all day to go to the gym, I needed to get food. I had planned on watching the Red Sox opener in Lincoln Park and I can never pass up a fast food burrito joint it seems.
• 2:56 p.m. Tripoli Tap - $7.00.  Finally striking another place off of my Chicago restaurant bucket list, I made it to Chicago's Red Sox bar.  The Guinness here was expensive, but it was worth it for the patrons.  When I left the Red Sox were leading and the crowd was happy.  But they ended up blowing the game late.
• 5:26 p.m. Oglivie Transportation Center - $4.00.  Thankfully, I had a ticket left that was never collected on a trip to Ravinia for the way home since I had no idea how far Villa Park actually was from the city.
• 6:19 p.m. Villa Park Metra Station - Free.  My friend picked me up there to take me out to dinner with his wife and kid.
• 7:52 p.m. La Hacienda De Los Fernandez - Free.  It wasn't as good as a Mexican place in the city, but they do make their own tortillas and it was very passable.  I was very appreciative that my friend took me out for this going away dinner as well.
• 8:50 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  While waiting for the train back from Elmhurst, we stopped at this place.  It didn't look that much different than a Starbucks in the city.  I was kind of surprised at the clientele.  

SATURDAY, APRIL 2 ($14.04)

• 2:20 p.m. Myopic Books - Free.  I was shocked with the amount of books that they bought back from me.  $30.00 worth to be exact.  But I was more shocked that when I got home, I found that I had twice the number of books still left to try and offload as I had just sold.  At least I have another couple of weekends to sell them back.
• 5:37 p.m. McCormick Tribune YMCA - Free.  Carrying my books in a box tired me out as much as any workout could.  But I still went to the gym.  Really close to closing time.  I didn't really have time to do much of anything.
• 7:27 p.m. Walgreens - $14.04.  Another time at Walgreens when I was out of pretty much everything important.  Hopefully this was the last time I have to buy soap while I live in Chicago!

SUNDAY, APRIL 3 (Free)

MONDAY, APRIL 4 ($16.90)

• 11:48 a.m. McCormick Tribune YMCA - Free.  Even though I had a ton of errands to run that I wouldn't be able to run for the next week, I stopped at the gym.  To say that I'm addicted might be an understatement.
• 1:46 p.m. Sultan's Market - $8.00.  I am able to spend more money at Sultan's Market in one visit than most people are able to spend in multiple ones.  But I had to get every one of my favorites off of their Middle Eastern salad bar since it was probably the last time I will go there as a Chicago resident.
• 2:21 p.m. Chicago Public Library - Logan Square Branch - $1.00.  The reason I went to the library was to print out a bunch of coupons and a Groupon.  I ended up printing neither, but I did print out my train reservation.
• 7:16 p.m. Bubbleland - $3.90.  In this trip, I washed most of the t-shirts that I had found in the bottom of my closet.  Most of these went straight into packing boxes.  But I was glad that I was finally making a dent in the clothes on my bedroom floor before I move.
• 9:44 p.m. Logan Theater - $4.00.  Since I was going to be out of the state the rest of the week, I needed to go the movie theater on Monday.  I went to see the incredibly sad Javier Barden movie Biutiful.  It was, not surprisingly, far better than Beastly.

So that's $74.62.  Which is less than I spent today.  If I can do that well on the other side of this vacation before my move, however, I will be greatly happy.  My total money spent while I've been unemployed is $2045.68.