Tag / Work

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Fitbit 6: Week 25

Now that’s more like it.  Week 18 of working from home due to the corona virus was still below my weekly goal, but is much more inline with what I would put up while going to work and was my best week since November.  The week got off to a nice start on Sunday, finishing over 7600 steps thanks to a trip to the grocery store.  Monday was even better, coming in over 8100 steps, the first time I had back-to-back days over goal since April 6th and 7th.  Tuesday saw a slight downgrade, coming in at exactly 5700 steps.  Wednesday was the low point of the week, where meetings forced me into finishing 14 steps away from 3900.  Thursday bounced back well, back up to 8600 steps, the week’s high point and giving me my first week with 3 days over goal since my last week of going to work in mid-March.  Friday fell back down again to 6300 steps.  Saturday should have been my fourth day over goal for the week, but falling asleep early left me with 7100 steps.

Total steps: 47,464

Daily average: 6780.6

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Fitbit 6: Week 22

Week 15 of working from home due to the corona virus was another disappointment.  The week got off to a good start on Sunday, finishing 63 steps above goal.  Monday fell off a cliff, finishing just shy of 2400 steps.  Tuesday was better, but still bad, coming in at 3100 steps.  Wednesday was another downer, ending the day with 3100 steps.  Thursday was another good day, as I went out after work to meet up with Daryl and Val and ended up with 6300 steps.  Friday was the low point of a low week, with barely 2100 steps.  Saturday saw a slight improvement, but still finished with a sad 3000 steps.

Total steps: 27,720

Daily average: 3960

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Fitbit 6: Week 21

Week 14 of working from home due to the corona virus was a nice uptick, coming 141 steps away from my best total since the world fell apart.  The week got off to a slow start on Sunday, finishing with 3500 steps.  Monday was a nice improvement, coming in at 7300 steps.  Tuesday saw a decline, coming in with 4600 steps.  Wednesday was another downer, ending the day with 4300 steps.  Thursday was the low point of the week, coming in 41 steps shy of 2000.  Friday, thanks to an unplanned day off due to Juneteenth being added as a company holiday earlier in the week, gave me an opportunity to go out for a morning walk, which put me over 8600 steps.  Saturday used a trip out for breakfast outside under the tent to finish at 4000 steps.

Total steps: 34,410

Daily average: 4915.7

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Fitbit 6: Week 20

After 12 weeks of sheltering in place due to the corona virus, the world is starting to open back up again, but I am still home from work for the 13th consecutive week.  The week got off to a decent enough start on Sunday, finishing with 4100 steps.  Monday saw a slight improvement, moving up to 5200 steps.  Tuesday saw a slight decline, falling back to 5000 steps.  Wednesday was a low point, with a day of meetings leaving me with only 2600 steps.  Things improved on Thursday, as I shot back up to 4100 steps.  Friday was the high point of the week, as I headed out after work for a stroll around the not-in-use Guaranteed Rate Field, leading to a goal-beating 7900 steps.  Saturday was again the low point of the week, despite a trip out for a haircut for the first time in months, ending with only 2400 steps.

Total steps: 31,628

Daily average: 4518.3

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Fitbit 6: Week 19

Week 12 of sheltering in place due to the corona virus was a big disappointment, especially after the gains of last week and with the world opening back up.  The week got off to a decent enough start on Sunday, where an overnight stay followed by supposed riot-induced closures left me with 4200 steps.  Monday was the high point of the week, coming in at 5700 steps thanks to a post-work trip to my sister’s house to celebrate Danny’s graduation.  Tuesday saw a decline, coming in 4 steps short of 4100.  Wednesday was the day of carpet installation, so I ended the day with 3800 steps and a staple in my foot.  Work continued on Thursday, with the return of all of the furniture, and I came in at 3000 steps.  Friday finished with only 3400 steps, despite heading out for a post-work soiree with college friends.  Saturday was the low point of the week, despite a trip out to a restaurant for the first time since March, and I finished 11 steps short of 1900.

Total steps: 26,296

Daily average: 3756.6

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200 Things To Do In Illinois – Arlington International Racecourse

Illinois celebrated its bicentennial as a state in December of 2018.  To celebrate, the Chicago Tribune published the Bicentennial Bucket List: 200 Things To Do In Illinois, celebrating the best the state has to offer in history, food, architecture, culture, sports, nature, drink, and oddities.  Now that the state is starting to open back up following the corona virus outbreak, I figured this was the second-best time to look through this collection and cover the ones I’ve done/eaten/seen.

We continue things this week with one of the entries from the Sports category: Arlington International Racecourse, from Arlington Heights, IL.

After a fire ravaged the racetrack in the mid-1980s, the northwest suburban attraction emerged like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

The lavishly landscaped grounds, rebuilt track and stately new grandstand once again made this a magical spot to experience thoroughbred racing.  Arlington made history as the first thoroughbred racing site with a million-dollar purse.

Another north side spot that I never would have gone to were it not for the location of my job.  We’ve made a few trips over the years (3?  I want to say 3) for team outings, but, outside of those, I have had very little interest in going and wagering on the ponies.

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200 Things To Do In Illinois – Superdawg

Illinois celebrated its bicentennial as a state in December of 2018.  To celebrate, the Chicago Tribune published the Bicentennial Bucket List: 200 Things To Do In Illinois, celebrating the best the state has to offer in history, food, architecture, culture, sports, nature, drink, and oddities.  With the state still shut down due to the corona virus outbreak, I figured this was the second-best time to look through this collection and cover the ones I’ve done/eaten/seen.

We kick things off with one of the entries from the Food category: Superdawg, from Chicago, IL.

A Chicago-style hot dog with all the trimmings comes with a heaping side of nostalgia at Norwood Park’s 70-year-old Superdawg Drive-In.  No need to leave the car; place your order via the intercom and wait for a server to emerge with your order in a retro cardboard box filled with stubby crinkle-cut fries.

Another north side tradition that I was unfamiliar with growing up, but was introduced to after starting to work up north in 1997.  I don’t remember the first time I went to Superdawg, but my most memorable trip would have been on September 11, 2001.  There weren’t many cars in the lot that day, but it was a nice opportunity to catch up on the radio news of the events of the morning.

It’s been a few years since I’ve been down to the original location, thanks to the Wheeling location opening in 2010.  It may be worth a trip, once this whole shelter-in-place business is over with.

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Fitbit 6: Week 9

Week 2 of sheltering in place due to the corona virus yielded similar, if slightly better results.  The week got off to a slow start on Sunday, as I managed to barely surpass 2000 steps.  Monday was a little better, as I got up to 2500 steps.  Tuesday was another improvement, going up over 3000 steps.  The weather cooperated on Wednesday, leading to an after-work walk around the neighborhood with put me up over 6600 steps, my highest total since this whole mess started.  Despite colder weather, I managed a shorter walk on Thursday, which left me around 5200 steps.  Friday brought rain, which kept me inside all day and left me back down at 2600 steps.  I got out of the house on Saturday for a trip to the bank and the grocery store, which netted me steps despite the rain.

Total steps: 26,260

Daily average: 3751.4

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Fitbit 6: Week 8

My worst week since Thanksgiving, but at least I can blame it on something other than myself.  Social distancing due to the corona virus was the name of the game, especially come Sunday night when, after 2600 steps, I got the call that I would be working from home for the forseeable future.  The adventure started on Monday, where I managed only 2600 steps.  Tuesday was the high point of the week, with 5600 steps, thanks to going to vote in the IL primary and then the grocery store to stock up on supplies.  Wednesday I was able to spend a little bit more time outside, which netted me 4300 steps.  Rumors dropped on Thursday that a total shelter-in-place warning was on the way, so I ran out to the grocery store to get some additional supplies and finished with 4800 steps.  Friday, I garnered 3700 steps as the shelter-in-place order was announced.  Saturday was a complete dud of a day, falling short of 1500 steps.

Total steps: 25,276

Daily average: 3610.9

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Fitbit 6: Week 7

Another disappointing week, though I did manage to surpass 40,000 steps for the first time in over a month.  Sunday, surprisingly, managed to pass 3800 steps, thanks in part to a trip to yet another carpet store.  Monday went all the way up to 5700 steps.  Tuesday managed to surpass my daily goal for the first time, coming in over 7700 steps.  Wednesday was back down, coming in six steps shy of 5400.  Thursday was another good day, with over 8200 steps.  Friday was even better, with over 9500 steps thanks in part to an after-work birthday early celebration for Michael.  Saturday was back in the pits, with only 1600 steps as the world started to collapse.

Total steps: 42,162

Daily average: 6023.1