Leaving Geneva

It's been a while between posts and I do apologize for the lack of details in recent weeks. As many of you know, we've been in the midst of a family relocation, returning to Winfield after about 4.5 years away.

The official move and "close" was on July 9th. The days before and after have been nothing short of exhausting. The days leading up to the move were spent packing, packing, cleaning, and packing. In between, we managed to squeeze in a bit of packing.

July 7th (Monday) was a workday -- and also Su's birthday. She was shortchanged a bit on her actual birthday, but we did make it all work out. We turned the 6th (Sunday) into her day, devoting the time to her that we knew wouldn't happen that following day. A morning trip to see KUNG FU PANDA was a special treat for her. We had a lot of fun throughout the day and capped it later with presents and her choice of dinner. For this, she kept the venue close and we walked to our local Applebee's location. All told, it was a very good day.

But by the next day, it was the start of what would become about 1.5 weeks of whirlwind activity. A hectic work day kicked off Monday, followed by the pickup of the U-haul trailer. No, we weren't moving ourselves. We had what proved to be a very hardworking and personable crew doing the dirty work. But what I insist on during every move (and there have been a few...) is moving my own music studio and office. And anyone who has seen the pile of clutter knows that this is no small feat.

So Monday night was spent loading up the U-haul. Tuesday morning, bright and early, the movers arrived. And by 1:30 or so p.m., the house was mostly empty, save for essentials (food, clothing), blow up mattresses, a couple of folding chairs, and a smaller TV to pick up the evening White Sox game. Yes, priorities.

We ate dinner on the family room floor, devouring up veggie dogs, a couple of beers (we had to lighten the load in the U-haul!), and some post-meal treats. Later in the evening, we retreated to our mattresses, completely exhausted and still knowing that there was so much more ahead.

Wednesday started early with the last of the cleaning, packing, and sealing up the house for good. We managed to squeeze items into every last remaining space in the U-haul, the Santa Fe, and the Camry. We pulled away from Geneva for good at approximately 10:15 a.m. We stopped by Mom's house and dropped off Max (the dog) for a while, stopped at a friend's place to drop off Su for a while (no fun for any 6-year old at a house closing) and headed into Winfield. There, we dropped off the trailer in front of the new place and headed for the closing.

By 1:30 p.m., we were finished, with keys in hand and piles of paperwork that basically said that we owe the bank lots and lots of money that I have to pay until I'm about 72 years old. Yikes. That hurt just typing it.

When we arrived back at the house, the movers were there with all of our belongings and promptly started unloading. By about 5:10 p.m., we were officially "in" the house. It was ours. And nothing but piles of boxes and furniture surrounded us.

And we couldn't be happier about the decision.

I took off Thursday to really try to make a serious dent in the unpacking process. Slowly, the place started to truly feel like HOME. By Friday morning, as I prepared for work again, I felt like we had truly reached our destination.

Oh, and the commute was a meager 25 minutes. What a treat!

I will follow up with pix of the house once we have it more presentable for viewing. In the meantime, I'm just sharing a few from the first days of the move process. Some from the loading and the first shots from the outside, as well as looking out into the driveway from the garage on the first rainy morning that followed.

You're the Swedish thing...

Hard to believe it's already been a year since I wrote my last little summary of Geneva's Swedish Days weekend. My gosh, so much has happened since then. And oddly enough, my overall feelings about these events and the city of Geneva haven't really changed that much. It's a beautiful area and there is certainly a charm about the location. But unless you really get into that whole Third Street shopping and have the extra cash just begging to spring out of your wallet or purse (I prefer the wallet), there really isn't that much to do.

Well, unless you have a kid. Then you can turn it into a little bit of fun. And this year's fun was almost a carbon copy of last year's fun. Face painting. A chance to climb the fire engine. Some live music. Even a demonstration by the fire department for kids detailing how to react in the event of fire.

This year, we even saw a couple of people we knew. Su's kindergarten teacher and a school friend of hers. Otherwise, no familiar faces. A few dogs being walked. Lots of school kids enjoying a brief amount of freedom sans parents.

Aside from the fire department demo, Su also went on her first small roller coaster. I tried my best to take a photo, but the delay on my camera made that an impossible task. I did manage to get part of the front of her body in one shot. But nothing else to show the joy on her face. The first moments, as the coaster jerked from its stopped position, brought about a sense of worry and anxiety. You could see it in Su's eyes. But after a trip around the tracks, suddenly the expression was one filled with absolute joy. The screams ("those were GOOD screams, mommy") were an indicator that this little girl was going to handle fast-moving rides much better than her parents!

Otherwise, not much else. It just made for a nice evening and a chance to walk off a little bit of dinner, mingle in the crowd, and wear down the little gal just in time for bed.

Next up: Good Old Days in Winfield. And by then, we'll be in walking distance. Two more weeks to go until moving day!

Aluminum tunes and dusty vinyl

So, in case anyone missed it, Saturday was Record Store Day around the nation. I had mentioned it in an earlier posting, hoping it would drum up some excitement about an often-overlooked establishment -- and the true music shopping experience.

A quick link to the event website provided a list of participating stores. Our own suburban location was represented by Geneva's very own Kiss the Sky, located on 3rd Street in the downtown district. I was actually surprised that there had actually been a little press written about the event, too. Granted, no giant billboards or planes circling delivering messages in smoke. But, considering the state of the music world, any kind of recognition is a plus.

I managed to get over to the store late in the afternoon, probably close to 4:00 p.m. To my surprise, the place really was hopping. A wonderful mixture of young and old pouring through merchandise: CDs, old and new vinyl (yes, new vinyl is on the rise again...), t-shirts, posters, and other assorted items. There were snacks available like sushi, cookies, pastries, and a few plates that were already quite picked through (my punishment for arriving late). There were drawings for t-shirts, goodie bags with purchases, and sales on vinyl.

I managed to come home with a few goodies myself. I arrived carrying my 3-page long "wish" list and was able to cross a couple of the items off, as well as finding a few new releases.

If I had any complaint at all about the event, it was that ONLY the vinyl purchases were celebrated with discounts. And only when reaching a certain total. Now I do understand that vinyl is an important part of past glory -- and is even starting to find an audience with younger fans again. However, the bulk of the store is CDs. And considering that the CDs are already priced higher than any online source, it would seem to have been a great time to pass some savings down. The vinyl available at the store, while pretty tasty, wasn't extensive enough to satisfy the wish list anyway.

I did find one wonderful 3-record vinyl import release by Stereolab (Aluminum Tunes) in pretty good shape. And I picked up 4 CDs as well. But not the stash I was hoping to return with -- especially after saving my pesos for so long in anticipation of the event. And the record I did buy (not cheap by any means) did not produce any discount.

So, overall, I do feel some satisfaction in helping contribute to the bottom line of a local establishment. And I'm very excited to see that so many people came out to take part in the celebration. But I would like to see more done next year to make it worthwhile. There were a lot of folks there buying CDs for $16-$19 that commented on the cost. I can get a far greater selection and price online. So please make it just a TAD easier for me to justify paying out some bucks. I have a budget. And I crave music.

Also, I really wanted the Record Store Day t-shirt. When I asked, I was told it was only something that could be won with the drawing of names later. Employees were wearing this wonderful shirt and it was hanging up on display by the counter. What better way to advertise for next year's event? Sell me (and others) a shirt!

Better start saving now for next year's event.

A man for most seasons

Back when we lived in Tucson (AZ), I remember having many a discussion regarding the importance of having "seasons" during the year. In the midwest, we have 4 very distinct seasons, although some can sort of merge together leaving you wondering what happened (usually the absence of a true spring or fall). In Arizona, we did have seasons. They just weren't as vibrant. Monsoons brought about great beauty in the fall. And winters were downright gorgeous. Summers were just plain hot. But I can't say I truly "missed" the midwest seasons when we were away.

I didn't start to appreciate these changes until we moved back to the midwest in '97. Running in the springtime was a joy. And, for me, there is no greater time to run or train than in the fall. Feet beating down on a crushed path through miles and miles of forest preserve is a splendor not to be taken lightly. The cool, crisp air -- just enough to actually show your breath in front of you but not have to cover up -- can almost take your mind off of the work and pain associated with a long training run.

Of course, once the temperatures sink down into the 30s and below, it signals the end of comfortable running and the addition of many layers of warmth, many more hours of darkness, and a serious lack of motivation. And thoughts turn toward the desert again. At least for a few frigid months.

The joy of fall is also accented by the beauty of the leaves. Breathtaking colors. When we lived in Winfield (IL), we were surrounding by giant oaks. It also meant dedicating entire weekends to the act of raking. Hours and hours spent moving piles from the back of the property to the roadside for pickup. Walls of leaves.

Now in Geneva, in a newer subdivision, this isn't so much a problem. We don't have tall trees. We don't have much to rake. There lies the trade-off. We also don't have the same beauty. I can finish my raking chores in about a half hour. Seems great, I suppose. But I would trade it in a heartbeat to get back to our old surrounding.

But at least we had enough leaves to create a little fun for Su...