A few random notes and observations from our first week here:
- We now have Illinios driver's licenses and license plates. We had to take a written test to get our driver's licenses, but fortunately we both passed with flying colors.
- When we were registering our cars, the clerk asked me when I bought my car. I said it was in '95. He looked at me oddly and said "But we're not to 95 yet." Wendy and I were both confused, and as we tried to figure out what he meant, he said, "Oh, 1995." For some strange reason he was thinking 2095. He apologized, with a look of embarrassment on his face.
- If you ever come to visit, be aware that the steps up to our 2nd floor are a bit steep. Plus, they're carpeted, so it makes for a slippery combination if you're just wearing socks. Wendy's already slipped down the stairs twice and myself once. Thankfully the worst that came out of it was a sprained ankle for Wendy, which was fine by the next day.
- I've accidentally locked myself out of our townhome... twice. Fortunately Wendy was home both times and let me back in.
- It seems to us that a lot more people here smoke. Wendy pointed out, though, it could actually be that a lot fewer people in Boulder smoke. I'm inclined to think it's a bit of both.
- When you step outside, it's hard to not notice the chirping of frogs. Apparently, Illinois has a lot of them. When we were looking into moving here, I came across this page, in which someone posts a comment describing what we can look forward to:
Wendy and I both agree that if there are going to be mass animal migrations, at least it's frogs and not snakes.
"I live in Lakemoor, IL and we have toad and turtle migrations. The turtles are easy to avoid, but get hit regularly nevertheless. The toads are impossible. It's like a hopping carpet covering the road a few days a year. Sickens me to drive home those nights. :-("
