Sunday, December 21, 2008

Well here I am in Florida. I flew out of Chicago a day early when I heard about the impending snowstorm on Thursday night. Apparently my flight was one of the last ones to leave Midway airport on Thursday night--woo!

So now I'm here in the land of palm trees and sunshine, and things are great! Thanks for reading, and happy holidays and all that.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

And on the 6th day...

Well, as you can see, there is not much to do in this town. But on the bright side - I am updating my blog more often! So everyone who always clamored for more, more, you got it!

Today I decided not to venture outside again, since yesterday I finally learned why they call it BRR Ridge. Ha. Anyway now I'm in the hotel room, and somehow there is a breeze in here. I don't know how to make it stop! So I am just sitting here with 2 sweaters on, and my slippers. It's nice, though.

This morning I ate breakfast in the hotel restaurant, which was pleasant. I was pondering eating alone in general, and I was surprised at how much easier it is to eat alone in a public place when said public place is empty. I was the only one in the restaurant, and I wasn't gripped by intense self-consciousness or the obssessive need to occupy myself somehow. Maybe it's because when no one is around, you don't worry about what other people are *thinking.*

Yesterday I tortured myself by looking at the weather in Orlando. Here in Burr Ridge the highs hover around 27, and in Florida it is a balmy 80 degrees!! Thank god I will be there soon. Phew!

Monday, December 15, 2008

Burr Ridge, day 5

Today is day 5 in Illinois (yes, Ernest, Illinois (c:). I am back in my new favorite starbucks, where they have the ever elusive maple scone (it's a Christmas miracle!!), so I have been happily munching that and sipping my Christmas blend. The "town" of Burr Ridge is an interesting place. On the way in my lost cab driver drove us through developments with gigantic houses, so it is clearly a rich area. The hotel and my office are across the street from each other in this business park, which is also where the starbucks is. There is a "village" also in the business park, which is the cookie-cutter suburban deal where you have a yankee candle, a banana republic, and of course a starbucks. And of course there is Christmas music pumping from hidden speakers in the well-planned landscaping. Not that I'm judging...

Yesterday I went to the city of Chicago, which was great! I met Melissa and Becca there--two of my friends from Ithaca. I was so happy that Melissa contacted me because I had not realized how close she is to Chicago. It was great to see familiar faces so far from home. We went to see the Bean in Millenium park, and then went to Giordano's for pizza. The famous Chicago style pizza was so delicious! It lived up to all my expectations. I wish I could have more time to spend in the city itself, because I really liked what I saw. There is so much interesting architecture there! Melissa and I also stumbled across a mini German festival where amazing smells wafted from the booths, and there were tiny hand-crafted wooden ornaments everywhere. I had a really good time, and hopefully someday I'll get to come back in the summer time for a real vacation.

Work has been really tiring mentally, but I have been able to have excessively slow, lazy mornings, which I have been drinking up, needless to say. Today there is a layer of ice covering every surface, and the wind is brutal. But at least the sun is shining, and there is an ever-familiar Starbucks in which to take refuge.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Hello readers. I'm sitting in a Starbucks in lovely Burr Ridge, Illinois. I am here for work, and my shift is 2 PM to 11 PM CST. So I have been enjoying the freedom of this long, long morning.

It is very cold here, everything is covered in a thin layer of snow. The receptionist at the hotel warned me about going out in the cold. I scoffed at her inwardly thinking that this day is tame compared with winters I used to spend in Ithaca. Buuuut it has been a long time since I lived in Ithaca, and I have to say I am not used to this anymore.

Anyway, I don't have a ton to say, just a quick update on my location. I'm flying to Orlando in one short week!

Hope everyone is doing well.