Back from Hiatus

I never meant to start this thing out with a boom of posts then let it just drop. Unfortunately, an impending audit at the job and conference travel diverted my time and usurped my guilty pleasure of blogging on someone else's clock.

So here's a quick one - I spent the majority of last week in my favorite large metropolis, CHICAGO! I was greeted at the airport not only by the Airport Express Shuttle, but with lake affect snows and howling winds. Silly me. All I brought was a pull-over fleece and a pashmena.

I stayed at the Westin Michigan Avenue, and was excited to hear that I had a room on the 15th floor. I couldn't wait to see the view! I opened the curtain, and VOILA! a full coat of ice not only covered the outside of my window, but was thick enough on the inside to scrape! When it melted 2 days later, I saw I was missing only a view of the building side across the alley.

On my second night a group of us walked 2 blocks to Pizanos and we enjoyed deep dish and Guinness. The temperature was a brutal 20% and once again my fleece and pashmena were all that protected me. A couple of us strolled the long way home, and I found pleasure in experiencing a climate so foreign to me. For all the ribbing I give yankee tourists, that snow and cold is not only invigorating, but serenely beautiful.

Now I feel guilty about enjoying the cold.