Matthew Gifford

Jenn and I are staying at the Holiday Inn in Rock Falls, IL, tonight. After a long, busy day, driving through a snow storm wasn't very appealing. The free wi-fi is very cool.

Notre Dame has fired Tyrone Willingham. I had heard rumors about this from friends who live in northern Indiana. I didn't think it would actually happen.

Jenn and I are back from our Thanksgiving trip to Eugene. Tomorrow morning, the movers will be here to pick up our stuff. After that, we'll be taking care of a little business, then starting our trip to Vancouver.

I'll be back online sometime this weekend. Call my cell phone if you need me before then.

Of course, Chicago couldn't let me leave without one last snowstorm. I wish I knew what box my hat and gloves were in.

Jenn and I are going on vacation until Monday. I should probably pack. The taxi will be here in an hour.

I was going to write the follow up to my last post on the train ride home, but was too busy speaking with Glen and taking pictures.

Where did I leave off? Oh yeah. So, I was working at Comark. Eventually, the company was bought by Insight. What was once a fun, challenging job turned into a frustrating, tedious mess. Last year, I decided it was time to find employment elsewhere.

Since then, I've been working for I-DEP. And, thanks to an understanding boss, I will be keeping my job after our move to Vancouver. Working with everyone at I-DEP has been a great experience. I hope I haven't been too difficult to work with. ;-)

On a side note, I found it weird to say goodbye to people when I knew I was going to be communicating with them every day. I think I ended up saying “see you later” to most of them.

But enough about work.

I'm not sure I'm going to miss the Cubs. Honestly, I just can't take it anymore. I never did care much for the Bears, Bulls, or Blackhawks. Or that other so-called baseball team on the south side.

Not living within a few hours' drive of my sister, parents, and grandparents is going to take some getting used to. I promise to see you all next Christmas.

Gabe and Tracy will be sorely missed. They have been the one constant thing in my life since I moved here.

Anyway, I'm rambling. It's obvious that I don't have anything profound to say right now. I wish I did. Maybe I will once I've had some time to de-stress and think about things.

It's been fun, Chicago. But it's time for me to move on.

I'm writing this on my last train ride into Chicago for a while. On Your Way by The Album Leaf is playing on the iPod. Seems fitting.

If you've been following along here and at Jenn's site, you know that we're in the middle of big changes: a new job for her, planning for a move across the country, our engagement. I can't help but feel that a chapter of my life is coming to a close.

It started in 2000. I wasn't making much money. School was starting to get old. I had no girlfriend. I had just been confirmed into the church. I had faith that everything was going to work out. So I quit school and my job and decided to move to Chicago.

Luckily, Michelle, Scott, and Scott at Comark were willing to take a chance on me. I can't possibly express my gratitude enough to them. Also, I have to thank my co-workers from Comark for being such good friends and teaching me so much. I'm really going to miss you guys.

I need to wrap this up for now. We've reached the city. I'll finish this on the way home.

Paul Graham's latest essay, Made in USA (via Daring Fireball), is right on the mark.

In America, if you want to do something, you don't worry that it might come out badly, or upset delicate social balances, or that people might think you're getting above yourself. If you want to do something, as Nike says, just do it.

Before you get all upset about that quote, read the article. It's not all bad.

Being the kind of person I am, I noticed that Mr. Graham put three e-mail addresses at the bottom of the article in white text. Interesting. Maybe he's trying to expose their addresses to spambots. Any ideas?

Congratulations to Russell Beattie for being hired by Yahoo!

Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should take a look at some of their six-figure executive expense accounts. All those lawsuits can't be cheap, either.

Good stuff.