August 16, 2005
The "Chicago-Land Area."
Or:
“I-PASS misadventures and The Fitz Family moves closer to my own home.”
HappyFunTime drives through Chicago a lot. About eight months ago, I (being the resident mathematician in HFT) noticed that the toll rates through Chicago were about to be doubled. Fear not, though, Chicago-Land Area residents, the I-PASS rates are going to stay the same.
So, I (being the resident penny pincher in HFT) ordered us up an I-PASS, and I was excited about it. This I-PASS was a pass to freedom: I-PASS only lanes, here we come!
But, then, I somehow managed to forget the I-PASS on our first trip through Chicago, forget it on the second trip, miss-place it on the third trip, etc, etc…
…Until, finally, on our way to Michigan at the beginning of August for the LCMS Michigan District Jr. High Gathering in Ann Arbor, this precious I-PASS was remembered, and affixed to the front window.
And, it was glorious.
Probably saved us at least $2.60, and 25 or so minutes….
But...it felt good. It’s actually a pretty cool thing. The money you put on it never expires, and you can use it on more than one vehicle as long as you register each vehicle.
Of course, I still recommend driving well around Chicago and its ever sprawling suburbs if you can.
And, speaking of sprawling Chicago suburbs….
My Dad just took a job as a children’s/family minister at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Aurora, IL. This is a definite landmark of major change in the life of the Fitz Family. The long and short of it is that they’ll still do Fitz Family shows, but only about one weekend a month starting in January (I think). It sounds like everyone in my family is really excited about the change. It was inevitable in many ways. My brothers continue to grow up and look forward to college and the next stage in life. A stable lifestyle without so much driving and food on the go will be much better for my dad’s health.
I talked to my dad the other day it sounded like everyone was really excited about all of the changes, which makes me VERY happy. For me, it is a very mixed bag, because I’m really excited that my parents are “close” to me now… a mere six hour drive! (It used to be 14 or more depending on how long Chicago traffic took, but now they are on my side of Chicago.) I’m excited that they are moving on to a good thing, but it is sort of like they moved out of the house that I grew up in… even though that “house” was just the general “road.” It consisted of everyone’s house across the country that we’ve ever stayed in and many Residence Inn’s and hotel rooms.
I’m sad, not in the way you are sad when you wish something didn’t happen, but the way that you are when you wish you could have everything. Very similar to when I left home myself.
It might be time to right that book about life on the road that I’ve been threatening to write for so many years now.