Wow, it’s been pretty quiet here lately, aside from random MFF spammage. Well, let’s see here…

First off, one of the big reasons it’s been quiet is that there isn’t a whole lot to talk about. I am currently unemployed (though looking all over for a position), so a lot of my days consist of waking up early, spending a few hours shotgun-blasting resumes across the Internet, going to the gym, and playing househusband (laundry, dishes, cooking, etc.). Unemployment checks should start rolling in soon, and Dan’s job has us covered with benefits and a good portion of the bills, so we’re doing pretty good on that front. Having said that, I guess I can talk about the few interesting things going on…

I’m writing this from Panera Bread in Arlington Heights, IL. From here, I’ll be driving over to Schaumburg and starting the process of verifying data for the Midwest FurFest 2006 Restaurant Guide – making sure that restaurants are still where we say they are, and adding new ones that have sprung up in the past year. I’ve found some new toys to play with, which make the possibilities of the guide a lot more interesting: I found a nice utility that can take the Excel spreadsheet I have with the guide data and make a Google Earth KML file of is; now I just need to figure out how to easily convert a KML file to something that will work with Google Maps. In the meantime I created this page, which gives an idea of what’s possible: MFF 2005 Restaurant Guide. Keep in mind, that’s data from last year, and only includes the restaurants from the guide and not the services part, with stores and pharmacies and such.

I’ll be taking a break from driving around to grab lunch for takaza, nymphara, and emrldgirrl at Chipotle (arr num num!), then after work Dan and I will probably celebrate his survng his employer’s end-of-the-fiscal-year crunch time by going home and collapsing. For the weekend, on Saturday Dan is taking some folks to see the last Cubs home game of the season, and I might be helping some friends move. And Sunday? No idea. We’ll fake it 🙂

Oh, and because it’s been too long:
COFFEE (AND ICE CREAM) NIGHT!
When: 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM, Wednesday, October 4 (this coming Wednesday)
Where: Bobtail Soda Fountain, 3425 N. Southport, Chicago, IL
That’s a half-block north of the Brown Line Southport station, and the El is by far the easiest way to get there. Street parking is available, though you may have to hunt a bit. Bobtail has very tasty (Intelligentsia) coffee, and excellent ice cream as well. They don’t serve much in the way of non-dessert food, but there is a Potbelly Sandwich Works right across the street. Dan and I will probably hit Potbelly at around 7 PM for a quick dinner if anyone wants to join us there. If you’d like us to save you a seat, just let me know, here or by e-mail!