This is probably a chicken's dream: no eggs.
It has been 48 hours since the snow tapered off, leaving us with approximately two feet on the ground. Frighteningly, the Weather Channel is calling for an additional 10-20″ of fresh powder tomorrow.
Yes, this the same girl who was jumping out of her skin at the initial forecast of 24 inches, so you might be asking yourself, “What has changed?” Well, I’ll tell you what has changed.
My flight to Boston was pretty empty today. I had an entire row of six seats to myself. Someone in the row ahead of me commented, “Seems like First Class is more crowded than the rest of the plane. For once we have better leg room back here.” He was right.
Maybe it’s because the plane was more empty than usual, or maybe the guy behind me lacked an “inside voice” but for whatever reason, it sounded like a megaphone was hardwired from his mouth to my ear. He shared a row with a stranger, but he took the opportunity to introduce himself to his seatmate and share his various achievements with him – and the entire rear section of the plane.
Make no mistake: he was very important.
I live in a building that dates back to the late 1800s. As a result, my condo fees are sky-high, and there’s always some form of “routine maintenance” in progress to keep our systems operational. I love the charm and character of an older building, so I’m generally a good sport about the inconvenience of it. Even so, there are some times when it sends my day into a tailspin.
Case in point: This morning I decided to work from home since my flight to Boston departed mid-day… easier to just head straight to the airport rather than stopping by the office. I also decided to indulge and lazily work from bed up until the minute I had to hit the shower and leave for the airport. As I made these decisions at 7am, it did not cross my mind that our building was slated for servicing today.
Last night, within five minutes of walking into my apartment building after landing on a flight from Chicago, I was standing in the building’s stairwell, stripped naked with my clothes in a pile. Ten minutes later, my mattress was turned on end and my bedding was on the floor.
…who experiences “sea legs” after crossing one of Chicago’s bridges on foot while a bus drives over it? (It bobs and sways enough that I feel like I’m walking on a trampoline afterward.)
…who looks at ice floating down the river, sees it as a game of Frogger and starts mentally selecting the chunks of ice I think would support me to get across if I needed to?
Dinner?
…who wonders if the pigeons that stand a bit too close to Chicago’s Eternal Flame when warming themselves ever stand there too long and become roasted chicken for the homeless?
…who finds it odd how empty the downtown streets are around 6pm on a weeknight? I’ve never seen another city where so many people routinely get off work at 5pm on the dot. I thought that was a myth of the 50s.
…who doesn’t understand why homeless people stay in Chicago when they could panhandle in warmer climates?
pithypants 