MeghanIsMe

I used to think that I never got into Pokemon because I was a little bit older than the target demographic when it was released. I liked playing with my Angel Tamagotchi, and I had a Game Boy, but I was never very interested in Pokemon. There were numerous Japanese RPGs out there that I just enjoyed a lot more.

But so many people of every age group are now talking about playing Pokemon Go that I think maybe it's not an age thing. Maybe I'm just some kind of curmudgeon. I do think it's pretty awesome that people are getting out of doors and seeing new places. I think exploring is really valuable! But I already do so much of it that extra motivation is unnecessary. I could have been hunting Pokemon during my 4.5 hour, 30 mile bicycling adventure today, but I wasn't. Instead I was hunting waterfalls with a couple of cameras, and as carefully as I've looked at my images, I can't find any Pokemon. That's probably just as well, since seeing a Charizard or a Squirtle out of the corner of my eye might have startled me enough to fall over the ledge I was perched on at Devil's Punchbowl and land on the big pointy stones 100 feet below.

I don't think one approach to outdoor adventure or the other is better. The best way to be active is whatever way makes you happy and gets you active. I kind of wish that this was something that appeals to me; it seems to be getting a lot of people to be social outdoors together, and I'd like more of that. I don't have much interest in hunting pocket monsters myself, but you can catch a few for me if you like. Especially if there are some that don't feel like fighting and just want cuddles and pets. I'll take those.

My ride today was a big circle with little branches. I saw Schiller Park and Woodlawn Cemetery, both new to me, and then looped back through Lincoln Park. Schiller park has an impressive reproduction of the Goethe and Schiller monument in Weimar, Germany. In Lincoln Park, I found another long, enticing, leaf-covered stairway I'd missed last time. I think that park has secrets.

https://www.endomondo.com/users/9694895/workouts/624336542 (I *think* that will connect to a map and stuff.)

A church bell just started ringing within earshot of my apartment window. It sounded just like the first note of a CTA train's two-note "Caution: the doors are about to close" chime. For just a moment, I thought I'd look out my window and see L tracks.

My exploring day was tons of fun. I visited three more thift stores, two of which have pretty decent clothing departments, and one of which had a nice book section. I picked up a newer Roget's Thesaurus and a copy of the complete illustrated works of Lewis Carroll. I don't think I've ever actually read the Alice stories.

I also picked up a pair of bead-bedecked jeans from the women's section. I love pretty jeans! I don't really know when I'll end up wearing them. Maybe I'll wear slightly more conservative things while on campus, and reserve my pretty jeans for social events. I'm still puzzling out this self-presentation thing. I found a great shirt that was sadly too big for me; it read "I'm feeling metacognitive today." I did buy one shirt with a llama with an outrageous mustache that reads "Dali Llama," as well as a "The Cake is a Lie" shirt with the cake icon from Portal. Good scores. I did not buy a shirt that said "Dogs Rule!" It made me smile, but my intent with it wouldn't be legible to anybody who doesn't already know me and/or furry culture.

I got into some relatively suburban-feeling areas, especially the strip-malls along Onondaga Boulevard and Highway 5. I encountered the wickedest hill yet, going north along Avery Avenue from Onondaga through a wooded-looking patch. I'm certainly getting my exercise!

I rode along the Creekwalk again since it went generally home from there, but I diverted to the far end first to see Onondaga Lake again. That train track I pass under at the edge of the lake is busy! Two large freights rolled by while I was looking out at the working boats. Meanwhile, some kind of work on the lake bottom was happening. I watched a crane dumping material from a string of barges into the lake. Then a tug pulled those barges away while another tug brought a second string, all piled with what looked like brown dirt. Then the crane started depositing that stuff into the lake as well. I wonder if it's part of the cleanup of the Solvay Process wastebeds that I read Honeywell is responsible for. Anyway, I stood on a retaining wall for a while watching the trains and crane before biking home.

I rode about 16 miles today, which is approximately my regular daily commute in Wisconsin. That was nice!