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I'm buzzed (more than buzzed) enough to not even care about the family drama that just happened. You can't rain on my awesome day.
Here in this part of Illinois, we're really fond of bike trails. I mean, REALLY, fond of. I have no idea if this is all of Illinois, or just the two towns I'm located in between (Chicago too, they love bikes there), but we like our bike trails. They are everywhere, no joke. I enjoy this.
One of the things I miss the most about my community college is the fact that the campus itself was right next to some of said bike trails. (My current one is in the middle of town and you have to cross the street and almost always get ran over to just get to the library). The campus was beautiful. It campus went through this lake, and on the bridge or from the library you could look out at it. Most people didn't venture out to them, but I did. Almost daily, actually. It was a nice pick-me-up between classes. Nature tends to do that for me. Very few people know about the lake completely separate from the main one that is behind the campus, or that you can watch the black hawk drills going on at the local airport on some weekdays. The airport thing may be because I grew up at that airport, but there is a perfect view of watching the planes take off from the trail. Sometimes, you need to be away from people and nature has always been the best place for that for me. Sure, once in a while other people are there but it is never more than a passing smile, and then you and nature are alone again.
The (really, THE) guy I thought I was in love with for the majority of my life was in baseball at said college, and the entrance to those trails was right next to it. I remember the moment (and I probably wouldn't if I wasn't slightly drunk) that I walked by, knew he was there, and didn't even glance over. Like, I didn't want to. I didn't want to see him, I wanted to go walk and be left alone. I mean, okay, so the little girl inside that still thinks life can be like the movies imagined him running out and walking with me and a roll to the credits while you imagine how they live happily ever after, but that faded pretty quick. The idea and dreams of him were always much better than he is, so why not dream? That was one of those empowering moments for me, because normally I'd linger and watch from a distance, not then, and not anytime after.
Okay, wow, that's a lot of words for wanting to talk about what I did today. I'm in this thing where I actually go out and do things, instead of sit in front of my computer and/or TV and play video games all day. This is hard, because I've found a way to make real money through playing D3 (OKAY, so it's like $11 so far, but it's through playing a video game. $11 for doing something I like, this is new.) But yeah, so I have two days off and I wanted to go out and do something. Well, I found myself driving to the Midewin Praire Restoration site. I don't think I talked about it when my Botany class went, but it is this really cool restoration site that is HUGE, I mean, there is so much there. The very cool thing about this place is that the old Army arsenal is located there, meaning there is a whole bunch of old abandoned military buildings in the middle of all this pretty nature stuff. Cool, right? I think so. We went for my Botany class, and I didn't know it was open for the public nor did I know about how big it is until today.
First, I stopped at the Abraham Lincoln Cemetery that is right there on the outskirts. I went there in high school for ROTC once, and figured I'd stop by on the way there. It is a military cemetery. There was a lot of construction going on, so I paid my respects to the nearest set of graves and went on to Midewin. I figure I'll go back when the construction is over and people aren't all over. Back to Midewin though, I guess you can get up close and personal with those bunkers but I couldn't find a way in today. The place is big enough that I only saw a small sliver of what is there, so I figure I'll get back for more tomorrow or on my vacation week. I just know that walking for those few hours out there was something I need to do more, it was like the days at my community college and just listening to the birds, and the wind, and the bugs. It was great. Plus, the hobbit-house looking bunkers in the far distance were great.
I'm on this picture kick too, so hay, I have some pictures. Most of them were kind of the same, since prairie restoration means that it is a lot of grass and wildflowers, but I picked my favorites.
One man cementary.
This last one is actually from when I went with my Botany class, when we were allowed in places the public isn't. This is some of the bunkers, since I couldn't get close enough today. These aren't the hobbit-house ones.
Here in this part of Illinois, we're really fond of bike trails. I mean, REALLY, fond of. I have no idea if this is all of Illinois, or just the two towns I'm located in between (Chicago too, they love bikes there), but we like our bike trails. They are everywhere, no joke. I enjoy this.
One of the things I miss the most about my community college is the fact that the campus itself was right next to some of said bike trails. (My current one is in the middle of town and you have to cross the street and almost always get ran over to just get to the library). The campus was beautiful. It campus went through this lake, and on the bridge or from the library you could look out at it. Most people didn't venture out to them, but I did. Almost daily, actually. It was a nice pick-me-up between classes. Nature tends to do that for me. Very few people know about the lake completely separate from the main one that is behind the campus, or that you can watch the black hawk drills going on at the local airport on some weekdays. The airport thing may be because I grew up at that airport, but there is a perfect view of watching the planes take off from the trail. Sometimes, you need to be away from people and nature has always been the best place for that for me. Sure, once in a while other people are there but it is never more than a passing smile, and then you and nature are alone again.
The (really, THE) guy I thought I was in love with for the majority of my life was in baseball at said college, and the entrance to those trails was right next to it. I remember the moment (and I probably wouldn't if I wasn't slightly drunk) that I walked by, knew he was there, and didn't even glance over. Like, I didn't want to. I didn't want to see him, I wanted to go walk and be left alone. I mean, okay, so the little girl inside that still thinks life can be like the movies imagined him running out and walking with me and a roll to the credits while you imagine how they live happily ever after, but that faded pretty quick. The idea and dreams of him were always much better than he is, so why not dream? That was one of those empowering moments for me, because normally I'd linger and watch from a distance, not then, and not anytime after.
Okay, wow, that's a lot of words for wanting to talk about what I did today. I'm in this thing where I actually go out and do things, instead of sit in front of my computer and/or TV and play video games all day. This is hard, because I've found a way to make real money through playing D3 (OKAY, so it's like $11 so far, but it's through playing a video game. $11 for doing something I like, this is new.) But yeah, so I have two days off and I wanted to go out and do something. Well, I found myself driving to the Midewin Praire Restoration site. I don't think I talked about it when my Botany class went, but it is this really cool restoration site that is HUGE, I mean, there is so much there. The very cool thing about this place is that the old Army arsenal is located there, meaning there is a whole bunch of old abandoned military buildings in the middle of all this pretty nature stuff. Cool, right? I think so. We went for my Botany class, and I didn't know it was open for the public nor did I know about how big it is until today.
First, I stopped at the Abraham Lincoln Cemetery that is right there on the outskirts. I went there in high school for ROTC once, and figured I'd stop by on the way there. It is a military cemetery. There was a lot of construction going on, so I paid my respects to the nearest set of graves and went on to Midewin. I figure I'll go back when the construction is over and people aren't all over. Back to Midewin though, I guess you can get up close and personal with those bunkers but I couldn't find a way in today. The place is big enough that I only saw a small sliver of what is there, so I figure I'll get back for more tomorrow or on my vacation week. I just know that walking for those few hours out there was something I need to do more, it was like the days at my community college and just listening to the birds, and the wind, and the bugs. It was great. Plus, the hobbit-house looking bunkers in the far distance were great.
I'm on this picture kick too, so hay, I have some pictures. Most of them were kind of the same, since prairie restoration means that it is a lot of grass and wildflowers, but I picked my favorites.
One man cementary.
This last one is actually from when I went with my Botany class, when we were allowed in places the public isn't. This is some of the bunkers, since I couldn't get close enough today. These aren't the hobbit-house ones.
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no subject
Date: 2012-06-20 04:00 am (UTC)From:I miss the bike trails in Illinois. :/
no subject
Date: 2012-06-20 04:46 am (UTC)From:I do quite enjoy them, and I hope wherever I end up has bike trails too.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-20 05:02 am (UTC)From:Thanks, it'll pass, just one of those moments where everyone is frustrated things.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-20 05:02 am (UTC)From:Believe it or not, I remember a lot of the bike trails in that neck of the woods. They were always a lot of fun - I miss them.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-20 04:06 pm (UTC)From:There is so many I could definitely believe it. I will too when I leave. It is nice to just be able to walk a couple minutes to find one.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-20 06:13 am (UTC)From:Ohhh, is the D3 auction house actually working well? It struck me as such a strange thing that they'd implement it in the game itself, but I suppose being able to oversee and control it is nice.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-20 04:17 pm (UTC)From:Yes and no. People are weird in what they'll buy, like I've been putting random things up that really aren't that great and people are still dropping money on them. I don't expect to make a lot, but it is nice just being able to throw up all the stuff I don't want and see if they sell. I know in D2 there was a lot of money transactions, so I think Blizz just wanted to cash in on that. Plus, it makes it much easier to do too. I like it, but I know some people completely hate it, but I don't get how a person can hate maybe being able to make a little money playing video games.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-20 04:36 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2012-06-20 07:26 am (UTC)From:And you sound like me...spending lots of time on the computer, but then wanting to get out into nature, and get away from people, so you go and have a magical day every once in awhile.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-20 04:29 pm (UTC)From:Sometimes, I just need to get out there. It makes me feel great for days after.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-20 12:30 pm (UTC)From:I've had a similar experience! Or a few, rather. To drive up to Baltimore or DC to see friends/hang out, I always have to drive by a road that leads to an ex-boyfriend's neighborhood. I used to always have to look down it as I drove by, because...Idk, it was a compulsion. And then one day I didn't need to anymore. And I even got Jason Mraz's You & I Both back, eventually, and it doesn't make me cry or think of him anymore. It's good.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-20 04:36 pm (UTC)From:And that is a great song. I love everything about that song (totally my favorite Jason Mraz song), so it's good you got it back. I've had songs like that too, that were so connected with someone.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-26 02:09 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2012-06-27 03:49 pm (UTC)From:Re:
Date: 2012-07-10 12:42 am (UTC)From:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6M_6qOz-yw