300
- A perfect game in bowling.
- A decent batting average.
- A good number of Spartans to have at your back.
- A car from Chrysler.
The number of blog posts I've written.
To celebrate this milestone, I asked you all for some questions that you might like answered. And here, in the order that I received them, are your questions.
And away we go…
From whatigotsofar
01 - If I (late 20s early 30s single guy) was going to visit Chicago with a group of friends for a weekend of fun, what should I go see and do?
Hotel – I'd house you in either Hotel Sax (at the House of Blues) or at the Trump (if you've got the CA$H). They are both in 'River North' located just north of downtown and very centrally located. After you arrive Friday night, hit the hotel bar, or the Big Bar over at the Hyatt.
Saturday Day – Assuming that it's this time of year, Saturday early, I would either send you up to a Northwestern Football game or to a sports bar to watch your favorite team. (Assuming you watch American college football.)
Afternoon – On your way back from the game / bar, swing by Millennium Park and Check out "The Bean". Hit the hotel, get cleaned up and get ready to go out.
Dinner – If it was good enough for Frank Sinatra, it should be good enough for you. Cab it up to Old Town and go to Twin Anchors for the ribs. The join is small, has a pretty good bar, and isn't overly touristy. Just remember, "Positively No Dancing."
Evening – Totally skipping the Division / Rush thing. Instead, it's time for some drinkin' on Lincoln. A short cab ride will get you to Fullerton / Halstead / Lincoln. Head up Lincoln. About every other business is a bar. Filled with locals about your age. While trying to pick up a "Lincoln Park Trixie" do not call her a "Lincoln Park Trixie". Those of you who didn't hook up, head out for the official drunk food of Chicago, the burrito. I would recommend either Taco & Burrito Palace II or La Bamba (where the burritos are as big as your head.)
Sunday – This is a little rough. If you can swing it, breakfast at Nookies Too. You'll want to be there by 10:00, or the wait is going to be pretty long. Or, head to the ESPN Zone for the Bears game (usually a noon start). Or fly out.
From Sky-Dad
02 - Have you ever been arrested, and if so, for what? Have I ever been convicted of a felony? Convicted? No. Never convicted. Actually, no arrest record. (channeling Stripes there, sorry)
03 - Do you have any tattoos? Nope.
04 - What is the nicest and the saddest thing that you can remember somebody saying to you?
Nicest – "I love you, too." Cora
Saddest – "I love you." Cora (mouthed from a distance while one of us is heading thru airport security.)
05 - Have you always lived in Chicago? No. I grew up "downstate" about 175 miles away. I probably was in "Chicagoland" a dozen times in my life before I moved here. I then spent the first 10 years or so here in the Northwest Suburbs (Mt. Prospect & Schaumburg) before moving into Chicago proper. I have been in the city now a dozen years.
From Morgan (Sorry, even though you retracted the questions, I'm answering anyway.)
06 - Your display picture shows you with a goatee, but now you do not have one in your most recent picture. What prompted the shave? Does Cora not like facial hair?
Technically, it's a VanDyke, Circle Beard, or Moutee but everyone calls them "goatees". The pictures you were seeing were from about 2 years ago. I grew the facial hair for the first time in late 2002. I was starting my sabbatical, and a cute girl told me that it would look good on me. It comes and goes. And I screwed up a bit last time I shaved it. (As seen in THIS post.) I had been planning to go as an airline pilot for Halloween, so was going to shave it down to just the mustache. So when I got back from vacation, I grew it back, to shave it down to the mustache two months later. I had just the mustache for about 18 hours before I was clean shaven again. I think I put it back on over Thanksgiving.
Cora doesn't seem to mind it, but I will shave it for her sometime, to see how she likes it. I'm not overly attached to it, it just makes the morning shave a lot easier, since it hides all the tricky shaving parts.
07 - How do you feel about frilly toothpicks, and the like?
They are fine for holding together my sandwich and warning me not to eat them in the process. Otherwise, I'm not that fancy.
From Cora
08 - If you could have a superpower what would it be and why?
I would be a healer. Even if it didn't work on me. That would be a cool power. You know, do some real good for people.
09 - What cartoon character turns you on the most?
Sometimes when Bugs Bunny dresses up like a lady bunny… But seriously, I think Daphne on Scooby Doo was pretty hot.
10 - Which movie title best sums up your life so far? Sleepless In Seattle
11 - What's the best advice you've ever taken?
While I often say, "Never pass up the opportunity to go to the bathroom" that I got from my old roommate Tony's late father, I think Gwen's advice to start a blog has to be the best.
12 - What's the worst advice you've ever taken?
"Don't do anything in a race that you don't do in training." So, in my second marathon, I didn't try their weird sport drink since it wasn't Gatorade, and totally hit the wall at the 18th mile.
13 - What is your favorite thing about yourself (besides your spectacular legs!)?
My favorite thing about me is you (Cora).
14 - What is your least favorite thing about yourself?
I need to turn the sarcasm and cynicism down a little
15 - What is your biggest fear?
Heights
16 - What are you most proud of in life?
Running 2 marathons
17 - Do you have any life goals or wishes that are not yet fulfilled?
All my hopes, dreams and wishes are very much in process of being fulfilled. Thank YOU very much.
18 - What are your three most favorite colors?
Blue – Everybody likes blue. But I am more a medium blue vs. a baby blue or a navy blue.
Green – A nice rich emerald green.
Periwinkle – Because it sounds like Bullwinkle's gay cousin's name.
19 - What was your favorite toy/toys as a kid? Easy, the large tub of Lego. Second was a pen and paper.
20 - If you could meet one living celebrity, who would it be and why?
Jimmy Buffett.
21 - If deaf person gives you an obscene hand gesture, should their mom wash their hands with soap?
No, but duct tape mittens on them for 5 minutes. My college is/was big of training Deaf Ed. teachers, so I'm sure I've been signed all the names in the book at some time or other.
From ~E
22 - How did you come up with your nickname "Scope?"
I didn't. I was given the name my Freshman year in college by some ladies that would become friends. They caught me "scoping out" the student body, so to speak. For the full story, go HERE.
23 - How tall are you really? And have you always been tall all your life or did you shoot up at some point in your teen years like an overwatered plant?
I'm 6'5". I was always the tallest kid in class.
24 - What is your favorite sport to play and sport to watch?
I love to watch football. To play? I would say basketball, but it's been too many years.
25 - Would you move to Seattle if you had to? Or would you rather stay in Chicago? (I swear I am asking this for myself, not because some red-headed hottie asked me to)
Yes. Yes. We have seriously started to talk about talking about this. It's not a slam dunk either way. This is going to have to be thought thru very seriously, because there are repercussions either way.
From Jan @ Struck By Serendipity
26 - Of your 300 posts, which is your favorite?
It would have to be the one about the exploding whale, that I have posted twice. First HERE and then HERE. That video is like a turducken with AWESOME stuffed inside AMAZING and all that shoved into WANTON DESTRUCTION. With like, bacon on it.
27 - At what point did you know Cora was The One?
Is it too corny to say, "When I saw her across the airport lobby the first time?" Or it was 30 seconds after that when we had out first kiss. Or maybe on our second date, when we were atop the Space Needle, with the lights of Seattle twinkling below us, when I looked across the table, and told her, "I love you" for the first time.
28 - Where are you going to live when you get married? See above.
29 - What is the worst job you've ever held?
Growing up on a farm, I thing the worst job ever was cleaning out the bottom of the corn drier. Imagine a 'V' shaped tunnel with an auger (spiral screw) in the bottom of it, that is about 5 feet wide, 3 feet deep, filled with chunks of hard, rotting corn. It's hot, it's claustrophobic, the corn stinks. Oh, and sometimes to help clear the gunk out, they turn on the deadly, limb mangling auger.
30 - What is the number one benefit to being so tall?
Being able to use all the shelves in my cupboards. And even to use the space above.
31 - What's the biggest difference between the blog-Eric we know and the real-life-Eric?
I'm probably a lot shier than you would think. And Eric is a lot more serious and less of a flirt than Scope.
32 - Tell us about your adventures in mastering the secret talent of elevator farting. (just joking)
It's not as wicked as farting while on an up escalator. As the person a few steps behind me shouted, "Oh, LORD!" as the were pulled through the lingering mist, I felt a little guilty. And then ran like the devil when I got to the top.
33 - As a guest of honor, you are chosen to represent the Chicago blogosphere in the Olympics. What sport do you participate in?
Tag. Because I really try to be good at tagging people in the blogosphere.
From Sassy Britches
34 - Where/when/how did you learn to be such a good listener? Stereotypically fellas tune out pretty soon into the convo and don't remember much about what you said, and/or they don't show the empathic nonverbals whatsoever. Are you just overall a "good" person, or did you set out to purposely learn these skills (and if so, did you have motivation?)
Crap. I hit publish and while this was spell checking, I realized that I forgot to answer this question!
Modestly, I will say that I've always been this way. As the middle child, I've tended to be a little quiet. I hate being in crowds, and normally don't like being the center of attention. I'm much better 1-on-1. And I've never really understood wanting to enjoy a "woman's company" naked if you didn't enjoy her company fully clothed. (Oh, I understand kissing, and B(.)(.)Bs, and sex and all, but why do you want to get into someone you're not in to?)
I have always had far more "female friends" than "girlfriends" or "guy friends". Just always found them more interesting. I've always thought the "right way" to do it, would be to start with a friend, and then grow that relationship into something more.
It took a while, but you know what, I couldn't be happier with how it all has worked out.
From Del Rio
35 - How do bloggers really feel about lurkers? I rarely comment on blogs because my comments aren't nearly as witty as the majority of your groups'?
I can only answer for myself. I check my analytics stats once or twice a week, and average 40 or 50 hits on days that I post. Sometimes more. Sometimes a little less. So I appreciate ever single set of eyes that hit my little corner of the internet
But, since I get about 10 comments a post, I appreciate those even more. Do I have favorite commenters? Absolutely. I plan on marrying one, she better qualify as my "favorite." I hope no one feels nervous about leaving me a comment. I was a commenter for 2 months before I started this blog.
And there are times & blogs where I'm more of a lurker.
So I guess, while I encourage anyone to comment if they feel like it, there's no stigma in silence, wither.
From Dr Zibbs
36 - You're gonna make yourself a cake aren't you?
Did someone mention cake? I don't mind if I do.
From Nikki
37 - I wanna know how to shoot a squirrel with a pellet gun filled with chocolate chip sprinkles. If you don't have the answer to that, then please tell me what the best things to do in Chicago are as I will be visiting your great city in two weeks time!
Why does the squirrel have a pellet gun filled with chocolate chip sprinkles? That's NUTS! Surely the squirrel would know that the chocolate chip sprinkles have limited mass and are not aerodynamic, so they tend to tumble as they fly.
As for the best things to do in the city, meet Cora and I Thusday night / Friday morning, that's what.
If that doesn't work, for you, I will recommend:
- Millennium Park in the morning
- (Window) shop your way up Michigan Ave.
- A light lunch at the bar on the 96th floor of the John Hancock building. Same view as the observation deck 2 floors down, but spend the $10 on food and drink. And realize that you are roughly 1/3 as high above sea level as Denver is.
- Afternoon - Hit the hip, funky shops in the Armitage / Halsted area.
- Dinner – Cafe Bar Ba Rebea for tapas and sangria. Get the pitcher. Don't be a sissy.
- Evening – Let your "Rocker Chick" side run free. Catch an up and coming band in Chicago's hot music scene. Metromix.com is a good place to pick your band. The Metro. Park West. The Elbo Room. Schubas. The new Lincoln Hall (formerly the 3 Penny Theatre). The Vic. Yeah, we have a couple to choose from. Get advance tix, and rock on.
From Sass
38 - I have been trying and trying and trying to think of a question for you.
What was your goal when you started blogging? Has that changed over the course of your 300 posts? (Duh, Cora), and What do you think will happen in the next 300? ;-)
My goal when I started blogging? I wanted to tell some stories and make people laugh. I figured that I would be doing a lot more creative writing (like the flying monkey stuff), or more general commentary. I didn't really expect to write a whole lot about my personal life. Why? Because I didn't have one.
I'd hope to make a couple of friends along the way.
My next 300? Well, I hope to tell a story about some squirrels, that I thought I would have told in the first week or two. And I'm sure one or two posts will cover the continuing relationship with Cora as it moves to new levels.
Well folks, that's #300. I want to thank all of you who have been here since post 1. And those of you who only came by today. If you weren't out there, I wouldn't be here. And I strongly urge you to go back and read yesterday's post, join Sass on her "Things I Want Thursday", and enter for a chance to win a special grand prize, chosen just for you.
Thanks,
Eric "Scope" Collins
For most of my readers, don't forget to set your clocks back one hour before going to bed tonight. (Well, at least do your bedroom clock. The one on the microwave can wait until morning.) 
