Happy new year!

I hope you all have a safe, happy, and healthy new year.

And let's hope tonight doesn't look like last night.

I'm a fool for a lonesome train

At first I was a bit bummed about going to work today. My boyfriend is off until after the New Year, and it would have been nice to be able to stay home and chill out with him today. The Christmas long weekend was wonderful, but I feel like I need a long weekend to recover from my holiday weekend. So I made a compromise with myself. I stayed home in the morning so we could make a trip to our storage space, and then I went into work in the afternoon.

Shortly after leaving for work I realized that this was, in actuality, the best day to go to work. I got to the main road by my apartment, and there were hardly any pedestrians. I got on the train, and there were more people than I had expected, but it was by no means full. Most of the people looked like they were enjoying their day off, which made me feel bummed again. But that feeling wouldn't last.

As I was walking to work I again noticed that there weren't many pedestrians around. This was surprising to me as I work in a touristy area that's almost always busy, and I thought for sure there would be a ton of people doing their after-Christmas bargain hunting and gift card redeeming. There were a few of those people, but not as many as I thought. Normally I have to dodge shoppers/tourists from the moment I leave the train station until I get to work, but not today. No one was in my way! I grabbed some lunch at a place frequented by people who work in the area as well as tourists, and I got in and out quicker than usual.

But the best part was coming home. Because I work north of the Loop the train is almost always full when I get on it. Once in a while I get a seat, but usually I have to wait a few stops to be able to sit down. Not today. The train was nearly empty! There were fewer people on the train at rush hour than there had been in the afternoon. Not only did I get a seat, no one sat near me the whole way home! The car remained virtually empty! Score!

Merry Christmas to all...

...and to all a good night.

Taken 12/25/07

Speaking of Christmas, I got many really awesome gifts. But as I am making this post, I am listening to one of them. Recently I decided I wanted to acquire some classic albums that I don't already have, and in that vein my mom came through in a big way. Thanks to her, I am now the proud owner of Led Zeppelin I.

'Tis the season and all that

Happy and safe holidays to you from the Windy City.

And it certainly is windy.

I just stepped out of a cab and immediately I could not see as the wind blew both ends of my scarf into my face. I almost fell over the curb!

RIP Pigeon Man

The first time I saw the the Pigeon Man of Lincoln Square I have to admit I was a bit freaked out. Here was a man with pigeons hanging out all over him. Pigeons scare me a little bit, so I was sort of in awe of this man. After the initial shock of seeing a man covered in pigeons, it was strangely comforting to see him sitting on a fire hydrant when I would go from my dentist's office to work.

This morning I was saddened to learn that Joseph Zeman, the Pigeon Man, was struck and killed by a van yesterday.

I pwn snow.

After all of that snow and wind yesterday I had no trouble getting my car out of its parking spot this morning. As I was walking to my car I saw a car that got stuck, and I became nervous, but it was all good.

The snow looked really pretty this morning in the sunlight.

Speaking of my car, I've spent a lot of time driving this weekend. I put a new mix CD in the car yesterday, and so far I've listened to it maybe 4 times. I will now forever associate this song with driving.

Icy hot

This is what it looks like outside my home right now. I'm sorry it's blurry, but I was trying my best to both hold the door open and take a picture in the wind. I'm also sorry that the photo doesn't convey the degree to which it is snowing outside. Because it's snowing. Hard. There's wind, and it's blowing the snow sideways.

Given that picture, you would think I would be curled up under blankets, drinking a warm beverage, and knitting or reading or something like that. Oh no. Well, that is partly right. I am knitting (although obviously I stopped knitting to make this post). Instead of wearing warm clothes and chilling out under a blanket I'm wearing a t-shirt, light pants, and no socks. The knitted garment on my lap is making me uncomfortable. And the window next to me is open.

If there is a blizzard outside, why is it hotter than hell in here?

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I have heat and that I'm not freezing outside. I just think it's odd that I've been more uncomfortable in my apartment over the last few days than I am in the summer, and we don't have air conditioning. This morning I had to use a fan in the bathroom while putting on my makeup so it wouldn't melt. I've been sleeping in my summer pajamas, and only using a sheet. The comforter and blanket are on the floor.

My apartment has radiators, and I am unable to control the heat. I guess this is one of the trade offs of having free heat. I mean, I could live in an apartment where I can control my heat, but then I would probably have a $200 heating bill every month. Come to think of it, perhaps the mid-summer feel in my apartment isn't so bad after all.

All that you build

So apparently Chicago ranks seventh on some list of the walkability of metropolitan areas. The top 10 breaks down like this:

1. Washington
2. Boston, Massachusetts
3. San Francisco, California
4. Denver, Colorado
5. Portland, Oregon
6. Seattle, Washington
7. Chicago, Illinois
8. Miami, Florida
9. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
10. New York

I walk all over Chicago, so I was hoping it would be higher up on the list. But given the fact that all the cities rated ahead of it are much smaller than Chicago, that's a pretty good showing I think.