Um, Last Weekend

I meant all week to sit down and write about the great time my roommate and I had in Chicago last Saturday the 22nd, but somehow it's already Saturday again. :)

A lot has happened... On Monday I had to check in with the transfer folks at school to get my paperwork in motion for leaving Tuesday, February 8th for San Diego! Needless to say, now that my date is confirmed (and I would have to replace an unused airline ticket out of pocket) I have to be done with school on schedule. Every moment of liberty this week was used doing extra school... as of last night, it was about 14 hours. So I am keeping up and am a little bit ahead. If I finish the next module today, I will hang out with Robert & Julie one more time tomorrow, Lord willing.

But last Saturday! We left a little later than the week before, since we had to muster and do sweepers at 0800. Caught the next train just in time, got off for breakfast two stops before downtown... The Golden Nugget Pancake House has exceeded my esteem for Denny's. I had a 3-egg omelet with squares of ham & onion cooked in. Lots of cheddar cheese too. Along with that came two of the fluffiest, biggest pancakes I've ever had. Let's just say we didn't have lunch.

We took buses from the transit center to the Planetarium down by the stadium. Admission was free for us, but the shows had an extra cost at discount. First up we saw a "Night Sky" show on a dome screen... Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Polaris and then the circumpolar stars in the north and the constellations and planets we'd see on a given night this season. Narrated live, and it was super fun!

Looked around the museum at the Gemini XII capsule from 1966 (on loan from the Smithsonian) and their featured exhibits on the moon program... and then downstairs I loved their displays on the history of telescopes. They have some neat stuff! Upstairs they had neat facts about the planets and the sun... and then it was time for the 3D movie about 3D technology and using it to observe mars and the sun. But after that it was 3pm or so... :)

So we walked up the pier to the natural history museum across from Soldier Field... the Field Museum. They closed at five, so we didn't have nearly enough time to see everything. I am very glad we decided to go on the Nature Walk, right by the entrance on the north. We saw the "World of Birds", the "World of Mammals" and "Messages from the Wilderness". We didn't have time for the Reptiles & Amphibians because we went upstairs to look at the dinosaur skeletons. I really loved them, but the encompassing displays on evolution sickened me. But I really do need to come back some time to see what we missed! :) Goodness! They had every bird and western animal I could think of, and then some! All of them were real-life specimens... they had every bird, from 15 different species of sparrows to the ostrich and condor. Incredible! And there were mammals in there that I had never heard of before, much less seen.

We caught the bus right out front and went to a famous local pizza place for dinner. "Gino's East" had deep dish pizza, with cheese, pepperoni and tomato sauce on top! We needed our forks! Got a cab for the few blocks back to the transit center and made our way home. Julie and her daughter Lisa picked us up at the train station in Great Lakes, bless them!, and took us back to the barracks (at least a 20 minute walk in snow & in the dark) where they waited for me to get my stuff for the night.

Stayed up really late chatting on Dalnet & talking, but I loved it! Woke up without a wake-up around 8ish, and we went to church. They go straight through books of the Bible there and were just finishing up 1st Kings. There were lots of nice snacks to be had afterwords, including a great rice & bean casserole. And after that we stopped by the house and headed off to enjoy the Packers-Bears playoff game at a local sports bar/restaurant. It was quite an experience to be with so many crazy fans during a game. Pretty loud in there! I had a lamb gyro with rice and coleslaw... and it was the best I've ever had.

What a weekend that was! Today I have duty, so there is no gallivanting around allowed. :)

My roommate is really swell and just offered before muster this morning to switch watches with me. So instead of midnight to 0400 pier sentry (look in people's bags), I'll be Petty Officer of the Watch (allowing people to leave or come in) from 1600 (4pm) to 2000 (8pm). We'll have 2000 muster and sweepers, and then I'll be done! Much better! What a sweetheart!

Jp

PS... and happy 97th birthday to my Gramma Payne today!