brandon lee brown, jillian fox, phil fox and me--there is no way around it, these suits are not flattering!
“IS THAT MZZZZZZZZ ARLYNN??????”
i loved hearing that from mr. fwfb #202’s voice across the parking lot of the http://www.chicagoindoorracing.com/ indoor racing club at buffalo grove. f2fb #202 phil fox showed up with his beloved bride #f2fb 203 jillian fox! i had forgotten that phil was the sweet young boy who worked at his family’s stationery shop in winnetka –he sold me school supplies. every year, parents received a list of baffling items that were necessary: number two pencils, kleenex in individual packets, post it notes, reams of lined paper. phil’s family business was to put all those items together and me? i would just show up and say “eastman has mrs. smith for this year” and they’d have all the school supplies in a bag, ready for purchase.
the fox’s were part of a several generations of winnetka life. but with walmart, costco, target–it ain’t happening. but the problem for small towns is that those little businesses, like the fox family stationery store, provide tax revenue. in addition to putting together the bag of school supplies so you don’t have to sort through the two hundred items your teacher demands in september, they also pay up in taxes. phil and his father both work now in corporate.
but the evening wasn’t about the death of small town businesses. it was about racing. one of the boy scouts filming me took a little time off to race, but he caught this. oh, shoot, did i really say that to him?????
the two foxes (jeez, it’s not hard to consider jokes about their names–i mean, phil and jill???) taught me about http//geocaching.com/
where you find things that people have left for anyone to find. oh, gosh, it was so exciting! today i found something in winnetka! i had to crawl up under the park benches to find it, but i am fearless.
okay, maybe not. i have had a setback. i was supposed to go out on saturday night. i dressed. i put out the keys. i gps’ed. i fucked up. i decided i had cardiomyopathy but also i had grave doubts about how the new years resolution is working out. i am 203 friends in and i am uncertain how to continue! i said no and stayed home. i apologized to the facebook friend who would be mr. 204. he is the most gracious. i spent the day reevaluating and hiding. i do a lot of hiding from the world.
but. . . i have zeroed in on booking alaska! i am so scared! who knew that i have facebook friend who lives on the cusp of the arctic circle?????
arlynnpresser 
August 29th, 2011 at 3:04 am
Hang in there, ArLynn. You have accomplished many things, and your zany F2FB progress is admirable. A tiny setback to remind you that we keep parts of our past, both good and not so good. But in telling your story, one would wonder why you needed a New Years resolution to complete it if it were so easy.
August 29th, 2011 at 3:30 am
I have an inquiring mind, I need to know. Did you kick the boy scout’s butt?
So what happened Saturday night? Was there too much action in the preceding days, overload? After all, geocashing and racing are both pretty exhilarating things. So you reschedule Mr. 204 and he becomes Mr. 238 or something. Remember that we had to reschedule because I needed to hide. It’s not all that uncommon a thing. But if you can start narrowing in on what it is that made you feel the need to hide, perhaps you can then develop strategies to overcome before you end up in hiding.
And how in the world, I must ask, can you have doubts about how this is going? You’re very nearly two THIRDS of the way through!! It’s going spectacularly!!! You can DOOOO it!! And you’ll have all next year to have Tim Crawford days and relax with the bubbly you open with the saber!
August 29th, 2011 at 11:45 am
i DID not kick brandon brown’s butt. he came in last place on one race and first place on the second race. and i know what’s bothering me. and i need a few days to process it. to let myself just go with it. on the other hand, i am within a few hours of actually booking all the flights necessary to get me into and out of alaska. i sure hope i can do this! your support and keeping your hand held out to me makes all the difference. now are you going to be in naperville on labor day weekend?
August 29th, 2011 at 4:43 pm
I would like to be your facebook friend and get to meet you. I live locally in Lombard, IL so you wouldn’t have to travel far. I read about you in the Chicago Tribune and I was very inspired. I started my own blog in July…something I’ve been wanting to do since I retired in September ’10. I enjoy reading your adventures and would like to meet you in person.
August 29th, 2011 at 4:45 pm
become my friend on facebook and i will definitely make an effort. i am sliding by the naperville area on labor day weekend. will you be around?