I'm pretty much going to stop writing here. If you continue to have any interest in what I have to say (mainly about things that I observe at work and around Chicago), you can read about them at http://lookoutbear.blogspot.com.

My coworker just came into my makeshift office (a freezing cold "conference room") with a calculator she claimed was broken. "I pulled it out of my desk and it doesn't work," she explained, "can you order me a new one ( Read more... )

This past weekend, Jimmy and I traveled to Michigan to witness the "dedication" of his niece, Maevyn (or Baby Mae). A dedication, it turns out, is a non-denominational, extremely short religious service led by a talkative pastor on the back porch of Jimmy's sister's house in Attica, MI. Attica is WAAAAY out there. Quiet, simple, and peaceful. ( Read more... )

They found that kid from Chicago who had been missing from Grinnell College for 7 months...or his body, I should say ( Read more... )

Jimmy and I applied for an apartment this weekend. It's just down the street from where I live now. It has a sunroom, a back porch that will be great for grilling, a built-in bookcase and decorative fireplace in the living room, a neato black and white checkered kitchen floor, a HUGE bedroom, and a smaller second bedroom that will serve as an ( Read more... )

On my final night in Holland, I pulled a Ryan Atwood (yes, an OC reference...it's an excellent television program) and went running on the beach. The sun was just beginning to set and I was the only person in sight for miles ( Read more... )

It's my second night of four in Holland, MI. Training is intense and the days are long, but I'm actually kind of enjoying it. I sat and talked with a guy tonight who lives in the city in Arkansas where WalMart is based. He works for a Haworth dealer now, but he used to be a cigarettes and tobacco buyer for WalMart. He said he got personal hate- ( Read more... )

I ran into Julian on the train yesterday. I figured this would happen eventually as we live in the same city in nearby neighborhoods (only about 2 blocks apart as it turns out) and presumably use the same public transportation. We must have been sitting across from each other for about 3 stops before he noticed and got my attention. Apparently I ( Read more... )

This is a really interesting article about the possibility that a nutrient found in orange juice could eventually be used to stop the growth of certain types of cancer cells. That would be cool ( Read more... )

My vacation was wonderful. We got almost 2 feet of powder the second night and enjoyed an amazing and difficult next day of powder skiing at Alta. My family got along well. My mom was in a good mood for nearly the entire trip despite my brother losing his IPod and we had a very nice time together. I was a little sad when I got back to Chicago ( Read more... )