Hello Old Friend(s)

If not mandated by Sweeney, there's a good chance this blog wouldn't be updated tonight.  So thank you David for getting me back on track, hopefully.

I guess the main reason for my absence from blogging has been a lifestyle change.  No, it's nothing huge, there's no "Craig" in my life, just little things that affect my nightly routines.  I have been working out in the mornings with Todd so I have to wake up pretty early and I usually am in bed before 10:30.  I'm also in a softball league that starts games as late as 9:30, so no time on those night either.  Either way, I'm upset I went so long without writing (or reading).  It will be cool to someday go back on blogs from months, even years, from now and remember, "Oh yeah! That was a great weekend" or "I can't believe I felt that way" or whatever.

So what have I been up to?  Reverse chronological order would probably be easiest.  This weekend I went to U of Illinois to watch the U of I vs. Arizona State game with Todd and Fabian.  We had a great tailgate, something we really didn't get to do too much of our last years at Michigan, so it was fun seeing all the festivities.  Going to Champaign, I new I was going to have this "Oh, Ann Arbor does this way better!"  I tried to keep my comments to a minimum because it would have gotten annoying to my buddies.  Seriously though, it's out in the middle of cornfields and smells like manure (they have a great agriculture program).  I was hoping the bar scene (Green St.) would be fun but it really just seems like the student body there drinks to get drunk (not to socialize) and then tries to get in fights (not say hello, literally and 1502-ally).  Alas, I digress.

I guess some of the bigger news in my life comes the the form of my future living situation.  Since my last post, I have moved back home with Ron and Maya.  Originally, I was looking at some apartments, but I have since been convinced that purchasing a town home is the smarted route in today's market.  Basically, the gamble is that to turn a profit on a town home, you have to live there for at least 7 years.  I'm pretty happy working at Delta Mobile, and I think they like me there, so 7 years seems very doable for me now.  The cost is a little higher than an apartment, but the money goes towards something that will help me in the future.  So far, I have looked at some great places, I'm hoping to have made a decision within a month then be moved in before the first snowfall (not looking forward to that)

Last weekend, I stayed in Wheaton, mostly, and hung out with Todd and a few of his Calvin buddies.  It was kind of their first reunion since they graduated, so I was glad they wanted to include me.  On Saturday night, we watched that epic Michigan v ND game. I was so pumped after that, my night could've have easily ended there and I would have been happy.  We went to Naperville and went to a few bars, had a few drinks, danced a little and mostly talked.  Good weekend.  Oh, I also went to a nearby horse racing track with my mom to watch some races and do a wine tasting.  Definitely a good time, I would suggest it as a date kind of thing, very affordable.

I don't want to harp too much on the weekend before that because I have talked to most of you about how that trip to AA went.  It was a ton of fun, I'm glad we didn't follow the itinerary very much and just kind of had a weekend that would have been similar to if we were still in school.  No outrageous shenanigans or anything, even though Wheeler doing trust falls was hilarious.  Just a good weekend of catching up with 1502 and the rest of the crew.  I was glad that I got to see Uzi a lot because we hadn't been able to meet up during my previous few visits.  I was also glad that Traz came with because I think he had a good time and it's nice to have someone to talk to on the long ride.

The weekends before that start to blur together.  There were a couple weekends when I went downtown to hang out with Barnes and his friends then others where I just hung out with my Wheaton friends.  David and I got to catch up before he left for DC, it was a bittersweet moment, I thought he would be around Illinois a little bit longer but he has that great opportunity now.  Plus, it's 2011, we can text or call anytime, so it's not so bad.  He will be missed though.

These coming weekends I plan to do a lot because it is starting to get cold and I want to irk out as many activities as I can.  This includes heading downtown with Anderson, he's back in Wheaton, and going to the Michigan vs. Northwester game on Oct. 8. Anyone who is in the midwest and with some time should come visit in Chicago before it gets too cold, could be fun.  I'm sure I will have things to write about from those weekends, but I am going to try to update every Sunday night, maybe even once over the work week too.

Another reason I haven't written is that I have been watching a lot of Modern Family, that show is awesome.  Season 3 starts on Wednesday and I suggest you all watch and maybe even try to watch the first 2 seasons. I'll have to keep up with House and the Office too.

I will read all your guys' posts tomorrow, during a break at work.  I already see a picture on Sweeney's so I look forward to reading all the posts.

Here's to gettin' back on the wagon,

Chin