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  • Hidden Peaks

    On Monday I swung by Hidden Peaks and climbed for a few hours.  Now, the pictures that I pointed out in the last entry are a little misleading.  It appears much larger than it really is.  In fact, it’s essentially just a bouldering cave.  I’m not sure how sold I am on it, since there’s no place to really traverse, but it’s better than nothing as of right now. 

    Also, most of the routes are hard, really hard.  There are very few V0s and V1s, and those are on the 45 degree wall.  I suppose it’ll get me strong in a hurry though.  The only downside, though, is that I’ll end up being a 4-5 move person, and so it will make actual wall climbing that much harder.

    Ugh, decisions, decisions, decisions.

    Oh, and I ripped up my hand pretty good when I went too.  I can tell that I haven’t done any hard climbing in awhile because the pads on my fingers definitely don’t have the calluses they used to.

  • Joining a Gym

    Ever since I moved up here (about 5 months ago), I haven’t been working out regularly.  Amazingly I have noticed it that much, but that could be because I’m still walking to and from work around twice a week (30 mins each way) or climbing around once a week with Erin.  However, I’ve realized that it’s time to get back into a semi-regular routine. 

    When I was down in Champaign, I was usually working out at the gym (cardio and weights) three times a week, plus I was climbing at least once a week, usually twice.  Going from that to no weights, running maybe once every couple of weeks, and climbing maybe once a week when I can, is a huge change.  What bothers me the most is that I’m finally starting to see the differences between how I was and how I am now.

    This is why the last two weeks I’ve been looking at Gyms in the area.  I was really hoping to find a gym with both a climbing wall and pool in addition to the regular equipment.  Unfortunately there are really only two places that offer that, and both are more than I want to pay, in addition to other factors.  One of the places is Gold Coast Multiplex.  Well, actually, that place doesn’t have the climbing wall, just the pool and other equipment.  However, if you join Gold Coast Multiplex, you also become a member of the Old Town Fitplex.  Now, the Fitplex has everything, pool, climbing, and regular equipment, but the pool is outdoor and shared (so no real lap swimming) and the wall is horrendously small.  For those reading that know of Vertical Plains in Champaign, think smaller, less bouldering, but better molded walls.  Plus, there’s the fact that parking is non-existent and it’s not within easy walking distance of my place.  If I lived within walking distance, I’d probably join there in a heartbeat.  However, I could join the Multiplex and then I get the pool and parking (parking garage that costs $2 every time), but it’s also over $100 a month, which seems a bit excessive.

    The other place that has everything I want is actually downtown, fairly close to my office.  The Illinois Center, again, has everything I want, but look at that wall, bouldering is non-existent, which means I either need to have a partner all the time, or someone will have to belay me.  Both of which means that I’d probably never actually use it, since I enjoy climbing on my own a lot too, just to get a good workout.  Granted, I haven’t actually visited this place, but I’m guessing it’s at least as expensive as the above Multiplex, if not more. 

    I was in a pickle, of all the choices, I was definitely going to go with the Fitplex, and just deal with the parking.  I mean, street parking is a pain, but I could deal with it.  In fact, I got a free two week trial membership to try it out.  However, I decided to do some more research on climbing walls within the area.  Turns out there’s a place just up the street from me, within walking distance, or just the next stop on the L.  I tried to go there last week, but apparently they were closed for the week, so I plan on heading there either tomorrow or Tuesday.  Now, if this place is like the pictures they have on the less-than-stellar website, this could definitely be the place. 

    Since I started giving up on the all-in-one gym, I looked at the gym right down the block from me.  I stopped in after I found out that Hidden Peak was closed, and got some more information.  West Loop isn’t a large gym by any stretch, but it has everything else I want (minus a pool), and has very nice equipment.  Being so small, I ask about how busy it must get, and if there are wait times on the equipment, etc.  I was told there wasn’t any, but it does get full during normal peak times, 4-7.  They also gave me a free two week trial, and so I’ve gone the last three days.  Granted, I’ve been there on non-peak days (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), but the maximum amount of people I’ve seen there at any one time is four.  It is a little bit more than I really want to spend, but the fact it’s so close and I don’t have to worry about parking (even if I were to get that lazy and drive) is a nice bonus, plus the people that work there are incredibly nice.  Now I just need to go tomorrow to find out how busy it really gets.

    Now, the way I see it, I’m going to end up spending under $100 a month between both the gym and the climbing if I end up going with both of these places.  However, that will get me unlimited use of both facilities, plus, hopefully, a much better climbing gym, and not having to worry about parking.  I really wish that West Loop had a pool, just for a change of pace, but I guess it’s not that big of a deal.  I mean, I’ve not belonged to a place with one before, so it won’t be like I’m losing anything.  And, well, if this other gym doesn’t work out, I can always go back to the Fitplex and save myself about $20 a month.

    Decisions, decisions, decisions.

  • Stir-Fry

    Yesterday I received my Calphalon Stir-Fry pan from Amazon.com.  I was so excited to use it, and had little to no other food in the house, that Erin and I stopped by the grocery store on the way back from UPS.  We snagged some Lo Mein noodles, Teriyaki sauce, Wok oil, chicken, sugar snap pees, broccoli, and water chestnuts (plus some other stuff for pad Thai) in order to whip up something quick.

    Erin took care of the noodles, while I cleaned out the new pan and prepped the rest of the ingredients.  Ten to fifteen minutes later we were enjoying some awesome Chicken Lo Mein.  I definitely would do things a bit differently next time though.  Stir-frying individual portions is a must.  I had already cooked the chicken, then added in the veggies, then attempted to add in the noodles.  Way too much going on in the pan.  So, next time it will be more of a Mongolian BBQ, or Flat Iron Grill kind of meal, where each serving will have its own mise en place, and that way I don’t overcrowd the pan.

    Tonight, I may attempt Pad Thai if I can find the rest of the ingredients I need.  The Dominick’s by us has a horribly small “Asian” section.  Actually, I think it’s just a double-wide end cap.  I’m not scared though, we have a bunch of specialty groceries around us.  I’m sure I’ll find what I need nearby.

    Oh, and this new pan is just the start.  I basically wanted to get a “tester” to see how well I enjoyed cooking with this type of Calphalon line.  Basically, I’m looking at getting a whole set sometime in the near future.  Actually, the set is also listed on Amazon.  Funny thing about that, though, is that by going to the Calphalon store page on Amazon, you can’t actually get to that set, only the same priced set that has fewer pieces.  Go figure.

    Bottom line, is the pot got crazy hot, and it seemed pretty evenly.  The sides seemed to get about as hot as the bottom of the pan, which is good, and it wasn’t too heavy to flip the stir-fry one-handed.  The only downsides I saw was that the handle did get warm (that could’ve been because of the insane amount of heat my burner was outputting though), and getting it to the same shine as it was brand new may take some work, but cleaning it, even after it sat while we ate, was not a problem.  All in all, it was a great experience, and I look forward to actually buying the rest of them.

  • Virgins

    Last night Erin and I went and saw The 40 Year-Old Virgin.  I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard at a movie in ages.  After only seeing only a few previews, when Erin said she wanted to see it I was slightly skeptical.  Thinking I was in for another film like Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, I went in not sure what to expect.  However, Rotten Tomatoes had such a high score for it, so that helped a little.

    I’m not sure if it was just Steve Carell’s (as Andy Stitzer) believably awesome performance, or the way that the rest of the cast just worked, but wow, talk about a good film.  From what I’ve heard, many of the scene’s had lines, but the director actually told the actors just to do whatever felt naturally.  There are definitely times where this came out.  Most notably is when Andy gets his chest waxed.  Apparently this was the first time that Carell had ever had this done.  The hilarity of the scene was that all of the other actors in the room were laughing to almost tears just like all of us in the audience.

    Both Erin and I walked out reciting lines from the movie, and I don’t think I’ve ever done that before.  Just go see it, it’s that good.

  • Blueberry Fest

    This weekend I headed up with Erin to her grandma’s cottage up near South Haven.  It was the blueberry festival, so there were tons more people than normal and ever.  We saw the Classic Rock All-Stars Saturday night, and then went blueberry picking Sunday morning.  We probably picked around 10 lbs between the four of us, and since it was the end of the season, they gave them to us for free (as opposed to the $0.90/lb they normally charge).  Unfortunately, I left my bag at Erin’s apt this morning, so I’m not sure when I’ll get them back.  I was hoping to freeze them with dry ice (ala Good Eats), to use them throughout the year.

  • First Day

    Well, today is my “first day” at the new job.  Actually, it’s the first day not being a contractor.  Today has been a fun day of orientations, skills assessments, and other fun first day things.  Tomorrow will be some more of the same too with another orientation. 

    It feels good to be “grounded” again somewhere.  I new it was going to happen sooner or later, but now that I have full benefits and the like again, a part of me can give a sigh of relief.  However, it doesn’t feel like anything new, as I’m still on the same project and today is just another day.

  • La Scarola

    This weekend, I wanted to bring Erin out someplace nice, mostly because we have so many seemingly great restaurants around us.  This was supposed to happen on Friday, but we had too many snacks and neither of us were all that hungry.  So, instead we headed out Saturday night. 

    La Scarola is a place that I walk by quite often because it lies on the route that I take home from work.  From the outside, the place appears insanely small.  All you see is, essentially, a box room stuffed with tables.  However, it’s always packed and it looked like a fun spot from the outside, a neighborhood Italian restaurant.

    We got there between 7:30 and 8 on Saturday.  The place was packed.  We were greeted by the host, who we found out later was the owner.  He asked if we had reservations, which we did not.  Our plan was to come here, and if it was packed, we’d just walk to any of the other restaurants in the area.  Even though we didn’t have a reservation, there happened to be a seat for two that he sat us at.

    As we walked in, we saw that there was actually a whole other area that you don’t notice from the street.  We were actually seated in this area, right near the bar in the smoking section.  The area, thankfully, didn’t smell of smoke at all.  In fact, the only way I knew it was a smoking section was because of the ashtray on the table. 

    We were quickly greeted by our waiter who took our incredibly difficult drink order of two waters.  Bread was brought to the table as we scoured the menu (which can actually be viewed online from the link at the end of the review).  The menu consisted of many classic Italian pasta dishes, but there were also some excellent sounding seafood dishes too.  I decided upon the Chicken special consisting of chicken breasts covered with prosciutto and mozzarella cheese.  This was then set on a bed of spinach with olive oil and pine nuts.  I had this with a house salad, and Erin decided to play it safe with Ravioli and their Pasta & Fagiole soup. 

    The salad consisted of a mix romaine and spinach greens, with tomatoes, red peppers, and olives.  The salad dressing was a vinaigrette, and there was incredibly way too much of it.  I was tempted to throw a life jacket in there for some of the greens at the bottom.  Also, the red pepper was slightly intimidating.  It looked like it was an attempt at roasting it, but there was no caramelization.  Instead it was just limp on the greens.  I was also disappointed to see a core from one of the heads of lettuce, but otherwise it was tasty.  Erin’s soup, on the other hand, was simply amazing.  The pasta and beans were tender, but not mushy, and the broth was light and flavorful.  According to the article on the wall next to me, and more professional-than-I reviewer said it was by far the best Past & Fagiole soup in the town (along with their own menu).  Maybe it was the white wine they add to the sauce?

    As we awaited our main course, the place became more and more full.  People started waiting at the bar, which significantly reduced the isle between them and us.  We weren’t getting hit by waiters or anything, but it felt a little cramped.

    Being a typical Italian restaurant the proportions are huge.  My plate consisted of 3 medium to small size chicken breasts.  The chicken was done quite well.  Obviously pan seared and then baked to melt the mozzarella over the prosciutto and chicken.  The chicken breasts were nicely browned and the mozzarella was nice and bubbly.  I could’ve done with less olive oil in the bottom of the plate, since that’s essentially what everything was sitting in, but it went well with the spinach and pine nuts.

    Erin’s ravioli was also delicious.  The pasta was actually a bit thicker than most ravioli, so you could actually taste the pasta and not just the filling.  The filling also very tasty.  The ricotta cheese was very smooth and the tomato sauce had a hint of sweetness to it. 

    Overall the experience was quite good and I’d definitely go back to La Scarola, especially to try and figure out their Pasta & Fagiole soup!

    Atmosphere:..7/10
    Staff:…………9/10
    Food:…………15/20
    Total………….31/40
    Price:…………$15-30 per plate excluding beverages

    La Scarola
    721 West Grand
    Chicago, IL 60610
    Phone: (312) 243 – 1740
    Fax: (312) 243 – 1742

  • New Features

    Well, today I want to introduce a new feature to rebelpeon.com.  I enjoy eating food, and being in Chicago, I’m surrounded by great food everywhere.  Plus I have a tendency to eat out a lot (at least for lunch).  Therefore, I think it only makes sense to put my adventures online.  This new section will probably be broken down quite a bit into categories.  That way, it will be easy for me to find places that I want to visit based on various criteria.  Well, without further ado, lets kick this off…

    Oh, and just so you don’t think I’m crazy, there will be another feature coming down the pike very shortly.  If done right, I could see it drawing a lot of traffic.  Now, I just need to find the time to do it.

  • More Jetta Mods

    Since I haven’t updated in awhile (well, other than the two other short posts a few minutes ago), I thought I’d back track a few weeks to keep people informed on what I’ve been doing. 

    Not too long ago, I rolled over the 20k mark in the Jetta.  Time for another oil change, plus a few other things.  One of those things happened to be a new fuel filter.  Ouch, that’s a hefty $30 just for the filter.  However, I had been reading about the CAT 2 micron filters that could easily be retrofitted onto the Jetta.  The CAT filters are normally used for big rigs, but the filter replacements are actually cheaper, try half the price, plus they last way longer.

    Unfortunately, you have to buy a new top to the filter.  This top, fittings, and a filter set you back $120.  Granted, I don’t know how long I’ll have the car or anything, so I don’t know if I’ll make back the money, directly ($15 every 20k+ miles takes a lot of miles), but I do know that the extra filtration will help keep the gunk out of the engine.  This is especially helpful since it seems like some of the places I end up filling up at are only used by me. 

    As easy as the directions are for the filter install, it of course never is that easy.  Well, actually, it was that easy after I found the needed tools.  To begin with, I needed two strap wrenches.  After busting one of Bud’s strap wrenches just changing my oil filter, I didn’t want to get some cheap things just to have them break.  I hunted, and I hunted, but all I found was really cheap, or really expensive.  So, I ended up getting the Craftsman pair.  At least that way, if they break, they have a lifetime warranty.  Then, I needed to get something to actually clamp the fuel lines (one going into the filter, and one leaving it) while I replaced the filter.  I had seen these nice and simple ones that were essentially just a piece of metal and a wingnut to tighten it down.  Well, finding these would be next to impossible.  Thanks to an old coworker, I was able to locate something similar to at least go on.  I then called Carquest and they actually found it cheaper than I could.  I was more than impressed and they could get it to their store by the next day, Friday.  This part is key because I was heading up to Traverse City the day after that, and wanted to have this done.

    So, Friday I left work a little early, swung by Carquest and picked up my Lisle Hose Pinchers, and headed home.  The goal was to get the filter replaced before I had to pickup Erin to go to her sister’s birthday party.  I get everything set, and tighten down the filter to the filter top.  *SNAP*  Of course, one of the stupid strap wrenches breaks.  Thankfully I had gotten everything tightened down enough. 

    Amazingly enough, that was the only problem throughout the whole install.  I actually only took me 20 minutes, and the car actually started on the first crank.  I was so proud of myself.  Too bad I stunk of diesel. 

    It’s been a few weeks since then, and no reported problems with the filter yet, which is always a good thing.  Now, if diesel would only drop below $2.50/gallon…

  • Salaried?

    As some of you may or may not know, I’m currently working as a contractor.  This means I’m hourly, with essentially no benefits.  While this is nice, having luxuries such as health care, paid vacation, etc are even nicer.  The good news is that I was offered a fulltime position last Friday.  After some negotiation talks, I will hear back from them tomorrow.  Hopefully everything goes well.

    **Update as of 7/27**

    I have accepted the offer.  The hire on date is tenatively set for next week.  Yay!