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Upset stomach and headache. Bother. I hate to go out sick though.

Hmm. There is a bus from Portland to Tigard, where there is a 55+ community that interests me. I wonder if I could check the place out? Hmm, the bus goes past the 55+ place but doesn't stop there. I wonder if I could take an Uber or cab.

I'm pondering how I could have a Left Coast lifestyle without Left Coast prices. There is a small town between Portland and Salem with a 55+ community, but their HOA fees are high. Maybe I should just stay in Champaign and cope with the summers and winters. There is a place near Ashland that isn't too freaking expensive. Oh, I miss California. There's one place in Seattle that has condos that remain reasonable. The HOA fees are high though. There are some manufactured homes in Eugene that are reasonable, but are manufactured homes okay in earthquake country? Anyway, my first step is to get out there and see if I like it. Now I'm thinking of spending a day or two in Portland just because it's there. And I like Portland.

I'm wondering when I should go see my mom. Maybe right before July 4th? I'm on call after that.

I think that I'm going to lie down for a little while and then go get soda. The hordes are eating. Then I need to write programs.

Got my soda and some munchies. Oh Dollar Tree, I love you. Got some bagels on deep discount.

I don't want to stay up too late because I have a 9:00 meeting plus I need to run to Walmart over lunch to pick up Zara's meds.

If I want to live cheap, there's a place outside of Chicago (Fox Lake) that does all the lawn/snow maintenance and has cheap houses and an Olympic-size pool (outdoors though) and a greenhouse and a vegetable garden. And it's near a lake. And there's a train into Chicago. And the HOA is only $202/month.

Anyway, I need to stop this and program.

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I have a vague memory of liking Pere Marquette State Park as a kid. (We took trips all over Illinois when I was a kid.) So I looked it up last night. Beautiful, so beautiful, with lots of hiking trails. It's especially beautiful in the Autumn. So taking a trip there in Autumn is now at the top of my list. I'd love to stay in the Lodge, but it appears to be booked up way in advance. Plus, it's probably very pricey. (They don't post their prices, which I don't like. If you have to ask....) However, I found an Airbnb about 15 minutes away that's $22 a night. Can't beat that. (There is a nicer place that's a little farther away with a river view for $89 a night.) We have Fall Break in October, which should be good leaf-viewing time, so when I get paid, I want to book the Airbnb for Fall Break. The only thing is that I want to have decent hiking boots for that trip because the trails are steep, and there are poisonous snakes in the area.

In another area (Ottawa, IL), I found a place with a class in glass-blowing. Doesn't that sound cool? I'm going to ask my mom if she's interested in trying it.

Illinois has some interesting areas!

I've feeling kind of burnt-out, slightly depressed, tired, and headachy. I think that I'll hole up with some photography books that I checked out of the library (I want to work on photo composition because that doesn't require a DSLR) and a snuggly cat. After I meditate and exercise.
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I've been looking for a good guidebook to Illinois, and I've not been finding much. There are a bunch about Chicago, but not the rest of the state. Maybe that means that I should write one :) I'm semi-serious about that. Working title: The Other Illinois: Get Out of Chicago and See the Rest of the State! It could be fodder for a lot of road trips. And maybe an article or two. I need a decent DSLR though. (It's always something.)

A Road Trip Illinois blog would be a good idea too. It would get me out of the house and exploring. It sounds like fun!

I found a state park about 2.5 hours away from here that I really want to hike. It's kind of hilly (it's in Eastern Illinois), but that might build my leg muscles up.

I solved the problem with my boss about my working days while she's gone. I'm going to take the Monday after my Sunday conference presentation off, and work the rest of the week, including Friday. Including the Sunday, that would be a full week. And then I'm going to work Wednesday - Friday the following week.

There is a horrific fire in a tall apartment building in London. Most of the building seems to be ablaze. Those poor people trapped inside....I hope that firefighters contain the blaze soon.

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