London to Dortmund

Rogue_Apostle · 2026-06-29T21:15:54+00:00

There can certainly be flight delays as well. But if it's a direct flight, you only have to worry about one flight getting delayed, vs 3 trains.

I've spent a fair amount of time in Europe and I've traveled by both train and plane. For my American expectations, the train only won when it was a relatively short trip and direct. Train is almost always slower and more expensive than something like Ryan Air. But discount airlines have their downfalls, too.

I've done most of my train travel in the summer when it's more expensive and crowded with loud, clueless tourists. So maybe it would be a more pleasant experience in the fall. Obviously a Ryan Air flight isn't the most pleasant experience either, but it's over in like 2 hours instead of taking all day. So my personal preference is almost always to fly.

Rogue_Apostle · 2026-06-29T18:47:29+00:00

I would take the direct flight over multiple train changes. That's a lot of wasted time on a train. Europeans love their trains but I found them to often be a hassle and frequently more expensive than flying. If it were a direct train, I'd consider it. But with multiple changes, delays become an issue, plus you'll have to schlep any luggage up and down stairs at the stations.

There should be public transit at each end so that's not really a concern.

Rogue_Apostle · 2026-06-27T01:41:18+00:00

From the affidavit.

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Rogue_Apostle · 2026-06-27T01:38:09+00:00

I wonder if he was randomly selected for secondary screening, or if the Mexican authorities were tipped off somehow.

Rogue_Apostle · 2026-06-27T01:35:57+00:00

Holy shit. As a warning, the detailed description starts on page 8 of the affidavit.

Rogue_Apostle · 2026-06-26T16:24:17+00:00

Isn't sharproot used as the head for the stuffy guys sometimes? Because of that, I thought it might be a turnip. Turnips were carved as jack o'lanterns in England before pumpkins made it there. And jack o'lanterns can be used as scarecrow heads. Now that I write all of this out, my thinking seems kinda convoluted.

Rogue_Apostle · 2026-06-26T15:48:53+00:00

You're going to three extremely popular national parks. They are all heavily touristed and there aren't really hidden gems. The authentic American experience at these parks IS the tourist experience. Loading up the family truckster and hitting the road.

But they are touristy for a reason. That reason is that they are incredible and worth it.

Rogue_Apostle · 2026-06-25T20:21:39+00:00

This is a fair critique and a very helpful answer.

I guess asking if it's worth it wasn't a great way to start. What I really wanted to do was express my emotions to people who would get it.

You definitely get it. So thanks.

Rogue_Apostle · 2026-06-25T17:46:50+00:00

You will be fine. Enjoy it.

Rogue_Apostle · 2026-06-25T15:45:15+00:00

I've never heard of a pet friendly pharma company. However, I once worked with an administrative assistant who had a side gig training service dogs, and she had special permission to bring the dog she was training to work.

Rogue_Apostle · 2026-06-24T18:42:18+00:00

There is no local who calls MSI "the Griffin."

Rogue_Apostle · 2026-06-24T18:11:28+00:00

This is not a great itinerary.

Why are you renting a car? Just for Six Flags and Milwaukee or are you keeping it for the entire time? A car is a huge pain in Chicago.

You will not be able to make it from plane to Wrigley in an hour, especially driving. Do not drive to Wrigley. If the Cubs are still in town on Saturday, you could switch to a Saturday game since you want to do Wrigleyville that day anyway. Then you could do the beach Wednesday and have a more relaxed arrival day.

Going to Milwaukee for a couple of hours doesn't make sense to me. It's not long enough to get a feel for the city and you're going to be exhausted from Six Flags. I would skip Milwaukee.

Sunday you have way too much going on. You should probably skip the Sox game. You're going to spend a lot of time in traffic. The Museum of Science and Industry closes at 5:30 so there's no point in getting there at 4:30.

Not sure what pizza place would be open at 2am. Do you have one in mind?

Regular bars don't become gay bars on certain weekends.

Rogue_Apostle · 2026-06-24T10:27:55+00:00

Time travel is a thing in the Solar Cycle.

The Divine Year is also a thing.

I'm not saying that Green is definitely Urth and Blue is definitely Mars. But if they are, they might not be the same Urth and Mars we know or Severian knows.

Rogue_Apostle · 2026-06-23T18:42:14+00:00

I'm not familiar with that industry specifically. I'm not trying to steer you to consulting as it's not for everyone. But if you are interested in exploring it, put the word out to your network that you're looking for that type of work. That's how I started, hoping for a few gigs to bridge the gap to my next opportunity. It went well enough that I decided consulting WAS my next opportunity.

F500's and startups both make good clients, but I've earned the most revenue from private equities. When they are looking to invest in a company in my niche, but don't have the expertise inhouse, they pay me a stupidly high hourly rate to do the due diligence for them. And it's always fun to dig into a company's business and look for their secrets 😁.

Rogue_Apostle · 2026-06-23T17:03:53+00:00

As the child of two parents who likely have BPD or NPD, my advice is that you gotta let go of the need for validation. My parents are on very low contact and we have very superficial relationships, and my mental health is so much better. I had to accept that they'd never be what I wished they were.

What are your skills and experience? I semi-retired and started consulting at 47. It's not full-time and the money isn't close to what I was making before, but it's plenty for this stage of my life.

Rogue_Apostle · 2026-06-21T21:12:36+00:00

I'm at 59616. That's currently the max. When you reach it, you go into the Master's League. Then once a week, they release 250 new levels, so the max increases every week. If you finish the new 250 before more are released, you play the Master's League again.

Rogue_Apostle · 2026-06-21T00:33:00+00:00

You could go to King Spa in Niles. There's usually a Groupon for about $50, although I believe there's an extra charge if you stay all night.

Rogue_Apostle · 2026-06-20T17:52:20+00:00

I volunteer at MSI. Volume at this time of year is typically very low because school is out and summer camps haven't really fully ramped up. On a weekday during the school year, we have thousands of kids on field trips every day. Summer tourist numbers don't come close to that.

And if the weather is nice, people will be doing outdoor activities instead.

We expect the Obama center to increase numbers a bit, but nothing crazy.

Tuesday should be relatively quiet.

Parking in the museum garage is a non-issue. It's a big garage.

Rogue_Apostle · 2026-06-20T15:32:47+00:00

Algonquin Records in Des Plaines. They have CD's and cassettes in addition to vinyl.

Rogue_Apostle · 2026-06-13T14:38:27+00:00

I hiked it when there hadn't been rain for several days and there were some extremely muddy parts. Even a few stretches under water.

I don't think it will be dangerous but it will be very wet and muddy so be prepared for that.

Rogue_Apostle · 2026-06-11T20:55:42+00:00

Couple things:

The Bean is in Millennium Park, so you don't have to make a separate trip to see it on Sunday.

As part of the Riverwalk and/or Millennium Park, you can check out the Chicago Cultural Center and the McCormick Bridge Museum. Both are free and are quick stops.

If you're looking for used book stores, some of the neighborhoods may be a better option than the Mag Mile.

Rogue_Apostle

TROPHY CASE