The BTTF III and T3 loop hole
After a brief discussion, Steph and I agree that Time Travel movies are better than Zombie movies.

There seems to be a 'part III' loop hole though. If a time travel movie has a third chapter, then that third movie will suck many times more than most zombie movies.

Scott

Lake Mich Fish


Steph and I spent Memorial Day with our friends Arwen and Brian at their cottage in Michigan City, IN.

Brian took me out on his fine boat and we managed to pull in some sizable coho salmon. I really like the fishing on the southern part of Lake Michigan. The water's calm, the fishing is pretty consistent, and it's really not a big ordeal to get there from Chicago.

Three hours after this picture was taken that fish was in my belly. Delicious- a little rice, some asparagus, some white wine...

Scott

The Giants got LaTroy'd
Cubs traded Latroy Hawkins to the Giants today for two bags of peanuts and some chewed-up juicy fruit. Genius!

In other news, Prior's arm is fractured.

I think I'm going to attempt a bike ride today. Should be interesting, I bought a brand new shiny helmet, so I might as well give it a go. The helmet can prevent head injuries sustained during extreme riding. Sounds about right.

Scott
-Happy Memorial day.

If it takes forever...

Cubs Games
Saw the Cubs lose to the White Sox 5-20-2005.
Saw the Cubs lose to the White Sox 5-21-2005.

Possibly going to see them lose tonight.
Possibly going to see them lose on Wednesday.

I'm not complaining. I'm just saying.

-Scott

Centerfield Buffet
Jimmy Buffet is playing Wrigley Field in September. To my knowledge this is the first time a concert has been held in the park.

We've got seats on the field, left field specifically, so it will be alright, come Monday and all that.

We're in the seventh row of section 'P':

Not bad.

Scott
-the weather is here, I wish you were beautiful

Cubs look like the Cubs

It looks like the Cubs will be stradling .500 for most of the year, at least the first few months anyway.

Nomar is nomore- so what? So let's dance!

Going to the bleachers on Sunday. It's supposed to rain.

Scott
-Dereck Lee is superhuman.

Final Two, or Tumultuous Two, or Titanic Two, or whatever.
Illinois v. North Carolina. Number 1 in the country v. Number 2. This is what we asked for, time to get it done.

I managed to accurately predict the final four teams, as well as seven out of the "elite eight."

I was ranked 983 out of three million on ESPN.com. Now, if only I would use my powers for good, instead of evil. But evil always wins...because good is dumb [from the overrated Spaceballs].

Scott
-the shade of my blue jeans is too close to Tarheel blue, so I have taken them off and will be watching the game without pants. Go Illini!

Opening Day

Last night the Yankees beat up the Red Sox in the Bronx to open the 2005 baseball season. Today most of the other teams debute.

Steve Stone is currently calling the Detroit-KC game on ESPN2. That's right, I'm actually watching the Royals play the Tigers- I don't even have it on picture-in-picture. That's how good Steve Stone's color commentary is. The Cubs ran him out of town, and it will lose them fans in the long run. On the other hand, thanks to Stone, I am now firmly in Tigers' camp. They look great. 11 losing seasons and counting, but 2005? The future is looking bright in Detroit. This will not be the last Tiger game I'll watch this year. KC? They still suck.

Scott

Holy Sh*T!!!

Arizona 89, Illinois 90. F/OT

Best game I've ever seen. Ever.

March Madness

So far so good for my final four:

Louisville is in, Michigan State beat Duke, and the Illini play Arizona in about five minutes. This is going to be fun.

2 - 8 are the lucky numbers
Instead of paying money to get in on a NCAA bracket pool this year, I picked up a "square" similar to the ones used in Super Bowl pools. My friend Tony, and a lot of people at his bar, were setting it up.
Basically I get two numbers, if the away team's score ends with a 2, and the home team's score ends with a 8, then I win some cash. The amount you win goes up as the tournament progresses. Since my brackets are usually toast by the sweet sixteen, I thought this might keep my interest a little longer.

So far I've matched one game:
(13)La Lafayette 62
(4)Louisville 68 final

Looking for more.

Scott

Time to get ILL

Apparently Keeanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock are filming a movie about a block away from us. They've got trailers and spotlights all over the place; I think the scene must have something to do with the L tracks on Wabash. I like Keeanu. A lot of people don't, but generally, his movies are a good time.

Illinois plays in the Second round tonight. Kansas and Bill Self went down last night with a weak effort. No one is safe. Nervous, Nervous, Nervous. We're solid though.

St. Pats March Madness


Happy St. Pat's!




We were in Savannah two years ago for their big St. Patty's Parade. Rolling on the River. Like everything else, if you get the chance...
Last year we were in Dallas (pretty boring, I think we went to a Bennigans), now we're home. St. Pat's is a drinking holiday, and nobody likes to drink alone. Home, with friends, is best. Pog Ma'Thoin!

Scott
-Chicago (couch)

twisted
Wrecked my ankle today stepping off a curb. Out of commission.

In other news, Amazing Race might be the best show on TV.

Madness Tomorrow...
My final four:
-Illinois
-Louisville
-UNC
-Michigan St.

The Illini bring it home to Champaign. If they don't, well, let's not entertain that thought.

The Chicago River at Michigan Ave.

Chicago has two St. Patrick's Day parades. One downtown, on Saturday, and one on the South Side, on Sunday. The downtown parade was about two blocks from our apartment so we wandered over. Saw the mayor, and the two Illinois senators, various other officials. People were having fun, so were we.

They traditionally dye the river green to celebrate, so we strolled up Michigan Avenue to check it out. I expected a mild green tint, but was surprised to find the river had taken on a brilliant, bright green color. It was a spectacle, a grand gesture, I liked it. Some, I'm sure, would ask why they do it. It's unnecessary, probably expensive, but sometimes you need to do things just because you can. That's probably someone's definition of 'art' but I simply appreciate it as an expression of will.

Steph and I went with some friends to the South Side parade on Sunday. Still hung over.

Scott
-Chicago

Okay, where was I...
We've been off the road for about eight months now. We miss it, but we're happy to be home. In that time Steph has been working for a cell phone company and I've made it through my first semester of law school.

We still travel. We've been to Florida. We took a quick trip to Ann Arbor to see the Illini beat the Wolverines. It's been good.

I'm going to try to start writing again, mainly about life in Chicago, but I don't know how frequently I'll post. I've run across a number of dead blogs on the net- they go so fast. People start then trail off. They're like the old motels on Rt. 66, or the deserted mining towns out west. Whoever was writing them, usually with a lot of enthusiasm, simply gave them up, leaving their story unfinished. I didn't want that to happen to this blog. I'll try to breathe some life back into it, if only so the road entries can remain relevant. As always, as all the bloggers do, I write to entertain myself. If you're kind enough to read this, then I thank you- but I would advise you to start writing your own. It's more fun.

Scott Larson
-Chicago

end of the trail


I started this "travel blog" on Friday, the 13th of February. I guess Friday, the 13th of August is as good as any day to end it. Our travels, at least professionally, are done. It's been almost five years since we first packed a bag (just one between us) and hit the asphalt. It is a strange, yet not unwelcome, feeling to be home indefinitely. Steph will start free-lance work next Friday for a local marketing firm. My first day of classes, three long years worth, is August 23rd.

We logged enough miles to drive around the world a few times. We hit five countries and 46 states, all but Alaska, Vermont, and the Dakotas. I have forgotten more places than I remember, but some places stick out. Miami Beach was our home for six beautiful weeks. It will always be important to us. St. Charles, Missouri, was our most frequent stop. Almost every company/product we worked for routed us through St. Charles. It's a little river town, with some modern bling bling. I have fond memories of our days there. Zion National Park is where we got engaged. It's a stunning place. That night, after Steph said `yes,' we drove to Vegas and stayed at the ridiculous Bellagio. Vegas is special too, in a dirty joke kind of way.

I want to thank everyone who took time out of their lives to check in on ours by reading this blog. I cannot express how grateful I am, and how much it was appreciated while on tour. To hear from people who had read it made us feel a little closer to home. Thank you.

I don't know if I'll continue to write here. It was a journal of our life on the road, so I doubt it will stand up now that we're home. Not that there won't be great stories to tell about life in Chicago- I'm confident there will be, and it's not that we won't be traveling anymore- we're going to Milwaukee next week and to Boston in September. I just think the new stuff won't jive with the old. I might start a new blog, a more pedestrian one, but I'm not sure.

There will probably be a few more things to say.

Scott
-40 E. 9th St., Chicago
Go Cubs!

Phantastic


I really like the Phillies' new ballpark. It's got a great environment: an Irish Pub, a grill under the scoreboard, plenty of games for the kids, cheesesteaks with whiz, yuengling beer...it's cool. I managed to score a BP ball- we had fun.

The only con is the location. If they could have squeezed it closer to downtown, I would put it in the top five. Phillies fans can finally tell New York to stick it, almost.

I've spent too much time on this little blog and not enough on my former site. Currently I need to update pages for San Diego, Denver, Las Vegas, Iowa Cubs, Arizona, and Philly. Straight up lazy, dawg.

Scott
-Chicago

Home run
We made it back to Chicago a little after midnight. We had five hours in Philly, managed to see Citizens Bank Park in all its glory. It's a gem.

I don't have to go anywhere today, or tomorrow, or the next day.

Scott
-home