A Wisconsin Thanksgiving
Monday December 2, 2024
I’ve really enjoyed my time here in Wisconsin, this short stint over American Thanksgiving. I wouldn’t say it’s a particularly interesting place, but the people that I got to meet and catch up with were my primary reasons for coming here. There was a lot of food and alcohol, and some hilarious memories that we’ll talk about on our Discord for years to come. Insinkerator-gate!
I guess it was nice to just have a very quiet holiday where I could wake up late every day and not worry about work for an extended weekend. No obligation to code something for the website or fix bugs. Couldn’t even really go explore by myself since it was so cold and I had no transport, but I did get to see a little bit of the surrounding towns and countryside. Stoughton has a very strong Nordic presence, and I got smashed off a 10oz cup of cider before sobering up at Culvers, known for their butter burgers and frozen custard. Went up to Madison once to have brunch on Saturday, there happened to be a cat store with two cute voids sitting around. At dinner, we watched a bit of Jet Lag, a YouTube channel where in this particular season, they had turned New Zealand’s highway system into a board game and raced from Cape Reinga to Bluff. We also played Lynked: Banner of the Spark, and it was a genuine joy to learn that so many in the room had purchased the game and were playing it too.
I was supposed to meet Matt in Chicago during my six hour layover but he wasn’t feeling too well so I ended up venturing to Logan’s Square for some food by myself. It was all terrible. The pizza was too salty and the ice cream was gross and too sweet. Better than being cooped up in the airport at least, so after I had acquired all my food, I headed back to the airport. Security was a breeze and I’ve just been sitting around monitoring my Duolingo progress and organising things for my last full week in Toronto.
Posted by Jeremy at 2:10am on Monday December 2, 2024 :: 0 comments :: 
Canadaversary
Tuesday July 31, 2018
Tomorrow marks one year since I landed in Canada to start a new life. It's gone by pretty quickly, but I'm still thoroughly enjoying my job and the city - and especially now that it's summer, it's incredibly exciting to experience all the events and sights that Toronto has to offer. Each weekend has been filled with something to do, something to eat, something to see. I shared 100 oysters for $100 with three others, had All You Can Eat Peking Duck, tried Xinjiang and Teochew cuisines; there was dim sum, office breakfasts, birthday dinners and barbeques in the park. There was karaoke, a hike around the Niagara Falls Whirlpools, Canada Day fireworks by the beach and a road trip to the Blue Mountains, where I drove on the right side of the road for the first time. I caught up with Dionte and we walked around Graffiti Alley. The company had its General Assembly last Friday, where we partied until midnight.
Last weekend I was in Chicago catching up with Loic, Dana and Marc. I went to a baseball game, which went exactly how I thought it would, in true American fashion: the hand on the heart thing for the national anthem, the sloppy greasy food and cheap beer, the whole atmosphere of Wrigley Stadium was just like I had seen on TV or in the movies. It did rain a bit though, and it would persist throughout the time I was in Chicago. We also explored Wicker Park, the area around our AirBnB, and I even snuck in some time to do a few Zapdos raids in Millennium Park. The four of us did a escape room, then watched the fireworks off Navy Pier. Of course, I had the famous deep dish pizza from Pizzeria Uno too - I wouldn't have left the city without it!
My weekends are so packed that the weekdays need to be quiet so I can relax and chill out. But I love it. I need to maximise my time before winter comes.
Posted by Jeremy at 4:26am on Tuesday July 31, 2018 :: 0 comments ::
Homeward Bound
Saturday June 16, 2012
So it's finally time to go home. Though O'Hare Airport doesn't have free wifi, I'm writing this in anticipation of a connection at LAX then I can just hit submit and it will post to my blog.
Yesterday we took it easy; Kheng Yong went up the Willis Tower while Mat and I relaxed at the hotel. When he returned, we walked through Millennium Park and took more photos of the Cloud Gate - the previous ones didn't turn out as well as I had hoped since the sky was overcast on the day we were there. We continued on to Navy Pier where we booked a Segway Tour (Mat's idea...).
Segways are weird. They're balanced controlled so you lean forward to go forward, and lean back to go back (or stop). The sensation is different to anything you'd expect but I personally was not as enthralled with it as Mat was. The tour was good though, we explored North Beach and Lincoln Park, and despite my general apathy towards the Segway, I was glad that we weren't walking all that distance.
We had another round of Chicago Deep Dish Pizza to commemorate our last night in the US. Again, it was delicious. We finished the night at the Buckingham Fountain, enjoying the lights dancing to Beethoven's 1812 Overture.
It's been a wonderful month away and I have thoroughly enjoyed the sights, the sounds, the people, the food and the experiences. I've been away for a long time but it's time to come home to the frozen temperatures of a New Zealand winter. Yay.
Posted by Jeremy at 4:04am on Saturday June 16, 2012 :: 4 comments ::
Chicago
Thursday June 14, 2012
Chicago's a great city, very picturesque and despite being the "windy city", it definitely isn't as windy as Wellington. The wind does provide a nice breeze on a hot day, though yesterday it was overcast and actually rather pleasant to walk around.
We have covered the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum, Millennium Park, Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) and the John Hancock Observatory. The view from the Willis Tower was stunning and Lake Michigan provides a scenic contrast to the urban sprawl around Chicago. We also managed to catch a beautiful sunset from the John Hancock Observatory, but despite my best efforts, I was unable to see the green flash.
We managed to fit in a bit of shopping on the Magnificent Mile, try the famous deep dish pizza and got $20 swindled off us by some twat who volunteered to give us directions then demanded money (it sounded like he had gang connections...).
We went our separate ways yesterday since I didn't really want to go to the Art Institute and Mat didn't really want to go to the Planetarium. Most of the stuff there was nothing new to me but there was a cool presentation with a 3D visualisation of the sun. I also walked to Navy Pier for a quick squizz around, but there wasn't really anything that interesting. The views of the city were nice though and I could have gone on the Ferris Wheel for only $6 for a better view, but since I was by myself it seemed a bit Forever Alone to go solo.
We met up with Kheng Yong in the evening and caught the Navy Pier fireworks from the steps by the Adler Planetarium. The shows are twice weekly during summer and they are way better than the useless fireworks you get from the Sky Tower at New Years Eve. They must have loads of money to burn...
Last full day in the US. It's gone by so quickly!
Posted by Jeremy at 2:24pm on Thursday June 14, 2012 :: 0 comments ::
Cedar Point
Monday June 11, 2012
We arrived in Cleveland, Ohio just before 11am and we had a few hours to kill before we could check into the condo at Sandusky, so Matt took us to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, via Cleveland's famous Free Stamp Sculpture. It was a quick run through of the premises before we hit the road west. We did not see Lady Gaga's meat dress.
We picked up the keys to the condo from some dodgy lady at the toll plaza, probably some ex KGB agent, and picked up Todd before finally arriving around 5pm at the condo. Sandusky Bikers Week was in full force, with leather-clad men and women on bikes everywhere. This is the real American experience! We chilled out for the night, playing some video games and drinking a few drinks before turning in for the big day ahead.
And what a day it was. Despite some awful nauseating experiences and deathly heat, the best rides were the award winning Millennium Force and the Dragster (check out the videos on YouTube!). It was an incredible weekend to spend with amazing people and though I wasn't feeling great the whole day, overall I had heaps of fun. Thank you to you awesome people for making this happen!
I suppose the other highlight to the day was finding a fabled Walmart and seeing exactly what the buzz about it was. They have everything there, even $200 guns, and the store was pretty busy at 11pm. It's madness. It's also huge. Though we did not see obese people in thongs or pajamas, we did catch a couple of anime convention goers in full costume. Oh America.
So currently in Chicago, the hotel doesn't have free wifi and Mat is egging me to finish blogging. It's only one more week until I'm back in New Zealand so it's time to cram all the fun into the final few days!
Posted by Jeremy at 2:58pm on Monday June 11, 2012 :: 0 comments ::