Day Twenty-Five

I also hate Indiana and Ohio toll roads. 1) Because they are there. 2) Because they cost more and it is completely arbitrary. 3) And because by the time I did an entire cost benefit analysis in my head of the toll vs. going out of my way to take another highway, I was already at another toll and had to pay again.

In other news Indiana had a lot to offer today. I visited Notre Dame home of Rudy, heartthrob Brady Quinn, and touchdown Jesus (below). It was a very cool campus and had that "I'm a really old campus feel." To kill some time before the College Football Hall of Fame opened, I visited a small used bookstore and asked the owner if he had any recommendations, he replied with "I don't read," which I thought was a very odd response for a used book store owner. So I left, read my own book, and then fell asleep in a park. The Hall of Fame was awesome and for the first time I really missed playing football. There was this awesome tri-screen film of just wicked hits and huge plays which really got the hair on my arms standing straight up. I eventually found Frosty Westering's (retired PLU football coach) plaque/bust thing and we took a photo together. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005.


Touchdown Jesus at Notre Dame.


Pat Tillman: American Hero (If you don't know his story) Pat Tillman


The evolution of football equipment. The red bandannas were to distinguish teams, not for protection. At one point college football was almost banned by Roosevelt because of some 19 fatalities or something. Possibly bandanna related?


Here is me and and my football coach Frosty. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005. The guy who took my picture was very impressed that I knew an inductee.


Here is Frosty's close-up. He looks better in person.

Day Twenty-Four

Chicago has a gorgeous downtown. On Monday I spent most of the day on a Lake Michigan beach where I turned into a lobster and read a good portion of a book called The Shack, a parting gift from my best friend at PLU and his wife. I walked most of downtown and then the beach boardwalk until I found a perfect little nest between hundreds of people all out of their Midwest winter hibernation. It is an interesting crowd on Mondays down on that beach. I even learned a few words that I can't type on this blog because my mother and her friends read on a regular basis.

So in my best efforts to save some money while staying downtown with my buddy Nate, I decided to park my truck in a suburb and then ride the metro into town. He told me parking downtown was some astronomical rate. So I return to my truck three days later to find a parking ticket for $60. Sweetness. If you've never seen a Chicago parking ticket, you can check mine out below.

PS: I hate Chicago toll roads. I don't think one should have to stop every 8 miles to pay 40 cents. So in an act of civil disobedience I started blowing through them. We'll see what happens.


Here is downtown Chicago from Navy Pier


Here is Kelly in front of downtown Chicago from Navy Pier



Here is some sweet guy that works facilities on Navy Pier that doesn't want you to bother him for an autograph.



Here is my first parking ticket ever.