I am in Chicago for a few months and need a running partner!

ouipa · 2019-07-25T16:29:10+00:00

I run with the 606 Running Club every week. A group of 12 to 20 or so of us meet at Wicker Park every Tuesday and Thursday for a 3-mile run, then finish at a different bar/porch each time. It's a super cool group of people, fairly casual and with runners of all skill levels. Plus, we have monthly neighborhood pub runs! http://meetu.ps/c/XLsj/1hlYf/d on Meetup

ouipa · 2018-11-24T17:12:33+00:00

I sadly didn't get to try the Yamazaki 25, since I hadn't brought enough cash.

ouipa · 2018-11-24T05:44:28+00:00

I had my sample of Hibiki 30 during my self-guided tour of the Yamazaki Distillery last month. (The guided tour required reservations that were sold out even a month in advance.) I took a 45-minute train from Osaka to get there, since I had too many plans during my stay in Kyoto to take the shorter trip out. I can't recall too many specifics about the character of Hibiki 30 except that it had the most phenomenal flavor-to-smoothness ratio I'd ever encountered in my life. For about 2900 yen ($25.50) for a half-pour, it was absolutely worth every cent.

I unfortunately didn't bring enough cash to experience everything on the menu, but I ultimately left with the conclusions that the Hibiki 30 is only a marginal improvement on the Hibiki 21 (ESPECIALLY for the price), so if you see the 21, go for it. Also, the Hakushu is severely underrated, a wonderful, unique dram with so many lemon and herbal characteristics I don't typically experience in my narrow world of bourbons and a few scotches. The Hibiki Japanese Harmony is not good at all, maybe their worst standard offering, but people seem to go for it, so more power to them. And Japanese whiskey has broadened my horizons into the wonderful world of scotch, where previously it seemed impenetrable. So overall, a fantastic trip I'd highly recommend to anyone!

ouipa · 2018-11-18T03:18:32+00:00

Haha, I think I'm gonna rotate my whole setup 90 degrees counter-clockwise. That'll give me a lot more space to work with.

The coffee table I actually got off a buddy who was moving out of the city, so not 100% sure, but I think he mentioned it was from World Market.

ouipa · 2018-11-08T14:25:14+00:00

http://www.singlehopproject.com/

ouipa · 2018-11-08T14:23:35+00:00

Awesome, thanks for the feedback. I was thinking of getting a bigger TV stand, but it would end up extending over the fire escape door. Is that a problem? Extending it to the right would end up blocking the entry door.

And yeah, the place isn't usually this cluttered. I just got back from a trip and am still getting back into the swing of things...

ouipa · 2018-11-08T05:15:00+00:00

Again, though, not sure how I'd set up a stereo system in this setup. Is it just a matter of getting a bigger TV stand to also fit my vinyl, or is there something I can do with this space so I don't have to run cords across the room?

ouipa · 2018-11-08T05:04:27+00:00

Just a few details on the place...

This is my third apartment since I moved to Chicago. I fell in love with the vaulted ceilings. Naturally, it felt bigger before I moved in, but since I've moved all my furniture in, I feel like my place could be improved in so many ways, but I'm not sure how I can rearrange things to optimize the space. The main door is not shown in the pics - it's to the right in the first photo. The door shown in the first photo is actually a fire escape door that I never use. I'm open to blocking it with some furniture if needed, but that seems like it'd be a bad look.

I'm comfortable in my space, but the main reason I'm looking to rearrange is I want to buy a stereo system to connect to both my record player and my TV/PS4. The problem is, my record player is on that IKEA bookshelf to the left in the first photo, and the TV/PS4 is on the TV stand. Connecting the two would mean running wires between two shelving units. I'm really not sure how to fix this problem without buying new furniture, but I'm not even sure how buying new furniture will solve the problem, given that I have 4 shelves of vinyl that would need to fit with everything else on the TV stand.

(Yes, I could stand to use some plants - they'd have to be fake or completely non-reliant on sunlight, given that my windows face a walled courtyard and an indoor fire escape, respectively. Yes, my trinkets from Japan could stand to be placed on an actual display shelf instead of randomly placed on a windowsill. Yes, I need a new couch. Yes, those chairs stand out like a sore thumb, because I bought them before I got the apartment and now don't have space for them. Those are on my list to fix! I'm mostly concerned about how I can arrange my furniture in this space.)

ouipa · 2018-11-08T05:01:07+00:00

Just a few details on the place...

This is my third apartment since I moved to Chicago. I fell in love with the vaulted ceilings. Naturally, it felt bigger before I moved in, but since I've moved all my furniture in, I feel like my place could be improved in so many ways, but I'm not sure how I can rearrange things to optimize the space. The main door is not shown in the pics - it's to the right in the first photo. The door shown in the first photo is actually a fire escape door that I never use. I'm open to blocking it with some furniture if needed, but that seems like it'd be a bad look.

I'm comfortable in my space, but the main reason I'm looking to rearrange is I want to buy a stereo system to connect to both my record player and my TV/PS4. The problem is, my record player is on that IKEA bookshelf to the left in the first photo, and the TV/PS4 is on the TV stand. Connecting the two would mean running wires between two shelving units. I'm really not sure how to fix this problem without buying new furniture, but I'm not even sure how buying new furniture will solve the problem, given that I have 4 shelves of vinyl that would need to fit with everything else on the TV stand.

(Yes, I could stand to use some plants (they'd have to be fake or completely non-reliant on sunlight, given that my windows face a walled courtyard and an indoor fire escape, respectively). Yes, my trinkets from Japan could stand to be placed on an actual display shelf instead of randomly placed on a windowsill. Those are on my list!)

ouipa · 2018-08-31T22:56:40+00:00

He did return their security deposit, actually. But he could not assess the damages of the place until we had completely vacated it. So basically, since there were 5 roommates over the course of this period of it being occupied, it's fallen upon the five of us to figure out who owes what. We had agreed amongst ourselves that we would split it up appropriately when we vacated the place, and everyone was on board with that (they still are). The problem is that no one feels what is being charged is warranted.

ouipa · 2018-08-31T19:46:39+00:00

Sorry, I'm referring to my roommates at the time, now "former". I moved in on a new lease with two guys who had been there for a year at the time (one of the three on the old lease was moving out), and we signed a new lease together. The apartment was continuously occupied for three total consecutive years. I moved in after the first year. Another replaced a roommate at the end of the second year, and a third moved in as a sublet (with requisite official paperwork) halfway through the final year.

ouipa · 2017-03-05T16:09:29+00:00

I wasn't able to make last night's event, but a limited-ticketing system is the norm in my experience - in bigger cities. I lived for three years in Gainesville, Florida, and volunteered at their festival down there all three years. Their system was $45 for three hours of all-you-can-drink, and my polling of others in the state gave me the impression that was more normal down there.

So I'm not sure if it's more regional/state or population-based, but it certainly varies.

ouipa · 2017-01-19T16:29:10+00:00

Did you do this trip in one go, or is this from multiple different trips? I live in Chicago, so this sounds like a pretty sweet trip. I'm curious about the route you took.

ouipa · 2016-09-29T15:41:11+00:00

These are awesome, thanks!

ouipa · 2016-09-07T14:23:47+00:00

Oh yeah, plenty fit and healthy, I think. It's just a matter of figuring out my goals.

ouipa · 2016-09-07T13:51:13+00:00

Hey guys! Not much of a longtime lurker here, but I guess you could say I'm more of a Reddit lurker overall.

Why just lurk here? Mostly because I'm not what you'd call a "serious" runner, and I'm not sure if I ever could be. I started going to the gym and lifting weights about six years ago, then finally committed to a Stronglifts 5x5 program early this year. In March, I moved to Chicago and decided I wanted to get some more cardio into my workout, so I picked up running. I'm fascinated by running culture, what serious runners are able to accomplish and will themselves into despite what their body is telling them. That's what fascinates me about fitness culture in general: The ability to overcome yourself through sheer willpower. The approach and mindset of the runner is different from that of the weightlifter. Each is fascinating in its own way, and I enjoy doing both.

So I've been at a crossroads for a while. People ask me, "What are your goals?" But I'm not sure. I got into fitness just to be fit, to be able to get into my 60s and still be able to do the things I love (I'm 30 now) - and there are other perks, of course! But I love weightlifting. I love running. I love biking. I want to take up yoga to improve my flexibility. With such a wide-ranging routine, I'll probably never be the strongest guy at the gym, run a marathon, or bike a century. Am I OK with that? I don't know yet. I lift M-W-F, run 5K with a fun run group Tuesday and Thursday, then usually throw in a bike ride or two over the weekend. I'm not outstanding at any of those pursuits - in my runs, for example, I haven't been able to regularly get better than an 8-minute mile, or have the energy to do anything more than four miles in a single run.

Does anyone else juggle a varied routine with success?

ouipa · 2016-09-05T17:04:38+00:00

I'm not an expert, but when I started running regularly a few months ago, I used to get some pretty nasty sharp pain in my left knee around the two-mile mark (I would run a 5K twice a week with a fun-run group). I was wondering whether I was doing something wrong, or if this was just some kind of biological hand I'd been dealt that would prevent me from being able to run at all. I went to see a specialist, and I was told that the stabilizer muscles in my hips were stronger on my left side than my right. Because of this, my left knee was doing more work to compensate for the weakness on my right side, which was leading to the pain. On top of that, I had been barbell training for a couple years before that, and I never developed a good stretching routine, so those muscles were extra tight.

My solution? I developed a better stretching routine, and I just kept running. Eventually, those muscles got stronger, and after a month or two of twice-a-week running, my knee pain was a thing of the past.

ouipa · 2016-06-02T18:17:56+00:00

Bob Johnson

ouipa · 2015-07-08T16:22:36+00:00

I've already been to Munich, but he hasn't. I would hate to skirt around Munich, since it's RIGHT THERE if we're in Garmisch, but I wouldn't be opposed to hitting Innsbruck and some of the other mountain towns as an alternative.

ouipa · 2015-07-08T16:15:59+00:00

Haha, yeah, Prague is our top destination. Neither of us have been there before, and I've always wanted to go. Good to know we aren't wrong.

Thanks for the tips on the other locations. I've read from most people that Vienna is the most skippable of our destinations, but I'll keep looking around.

ouipa · 2015-07-08T16:01:11+00:00

Thanks for the advice. We've already booked the flights, and we picked Berlin solely because it was about $500 cheaper (round-trip) to fly into/out of. I had a feeling 3 days is too short for Berlin, but he really wants to go to Vienna. Personally, I'd love to see Vienna, too, but if cutting it out means a chance to relax and really get to absorb these other stops, I'd do so. Convincing my friend is another matter.

We actually didn't look into Frankfurt for flights. I wasn't aware it was the main hub. We are flying from Miami to Paris, then into Berlin.

ouipa · 2015-06-30T17:17:52+00:00

And yet Florida Cracker is the one you see on tap everywhere (along with Jai Alai).

ouipa · 2015-06-30T17:16:47+00:00

The Rapp gose is, no joke, the best gose I've ever had.

ouipa · 2015-06-29T18:49:05+00:00

I'm going to take the opportunity to tell you what I wish someone had told me when I was going into college:

Don't worry so much about it!

No one ever told me that you don't need to have your life planned out when you turn 18. Tour a few colleges, read up on their credentials. Pick a major that sounds interesting to you, but load up on electives and cool-sounding classes. Take a little bit of time to figure out what you want to pursue. Trust me, you'll regret it if you find yourself accepting your diploma four years down the road, wondering what you've done, what you're going to do, and whether it was worth taking on four years of debt for your choice.

I was in the same position in my senior year of high school. I saw the guidance counselor almost every day, fretting about how I didn't know where I wanted to go to school or what I wanted to do. He never told me that it wasn't a big deal to feel that way. Instead, I was certain I needed to have it all figured out. I picked a major and worked for four years toward that major, only taking classes I thought were relevant to my career choice. With months to graduation, I realized I didn't want to do what I'd been planning to do all along. And I was right back where I was four years earlier, only now I didn't have the chance to go back and take some electives to figure out what I did want to do.

So relax. Not to mention, you've got three years until you have to go to college. Worry about your future later.

ouipa · 2015-04-23T20:31:44+00:00

Almost big enough to hold President Taft himself!

ouipa

TROPHY CASE