I went out to lunch with my bud, Barry. We went to a Chinese buffet and just sat around and talked for a while. Actually, we mostly talked about Barry doing a financial system upgrade at where he works. It was weird - I really enjoyed talking about it. It's the first time in almost a year where it felt good talking about typical corporate IT things. I know, it's petty, but it felt good! We'll be going over to their place on Saturday, hopefully to sit outside and barbecue something.
After lunch, since I had passed it to and from the buffet, I ducked into the Allstate Arena parking lot to watch some airplanes land at O'Hare. It's something I haven't done in a long, long time, and it's just one of those things that I enjoy. I wish I had my scanner with me.
First thing I noticed was the banner that's still on the building for the Chicago Wolves. It's a banner advertising that "The Playoffs Are Here". Well, they've been using the banner for a few years, and that's when I realized that, well, things have changed. The Wolves are now in the AHL, not the defunct IHL. The banner depicts the IHL Turner Cup, not the AHL Calder Cup. I guess they didn't want to spend the money, and/or they didn't think they'd be in the finals. I watched a couple of arrivals. I wanted to get a picture or two to show you how close the aircraft come over the top of the building.
I drove around the airport some more, watching the air traffic. I just love watching the planes. I don't know why. I've done it since I was a kid. O'Hare has a great diversity of aircraft and airlines, so it's always interesting watching the traffic. Then I remembered this store that's in the O'Hare Hilton that I love and haven't been to in a few years. I was looking for a model airplane to add to my collection - a National 757-200 - Our Favorite Airline to Las Vegas™. So I went to the airport, parked in the garage, and took the elevator down to the underground terminal level. The ORD Chicago Store is on this level, underneath the Hilton, near Elevator Center 4. I browsed around a bit, looking at all the aircraft. The last time I was here, National wasn't flying to O'Hare and they didn't have the model. Now they did, so I paid for it, walked around a bit more, and went back to the car and went home, where I promptly put it together and added it to my collection.
This was a weird afternoon. I was doing stuff as if I was decades younger, and I felt good.
2006- First Class
2004- Friends!
2003- Where's Mom?
- Well, they're better...
- Grgrgrgrgrgrgrrrrr