The city looked like this today, shrouded in misty, gray rain'ish blech. It was miserable to walk in but to look out from a warm window on the 20'something floor of a downtown building it was gorgeous. Chicago is like any city I guess, it has different faces that it shows at different times of year and the in between times are what get me...there's nothing like late fall/winter here that makes me want to laze around and listen to "Kind of Blue" and act dramatical and mysterious. I mean don't get me wrong it also kind of sucks because you know that after the first few days of being in awe that streets that used to pulse with heat during the summer are now frosty and feel so much wider and more desolate, you know that the shift has occured and days of bike rides and walking without wincing, and being able to wear skirts are long gone. Not just long gone but gone for a good almost six months...But right now, right now I'm savoring the ride in on the El, looking out at this mysterious re-made city that the rest of the country is looking at, hell the rest of the world is looking at and it is all so hushed and seems like it is only mine.
Enough poetry you say - get to the nitty gritty...Well, it's official due to the fact that there is only 45 minutes of daylight per day now I have become a hermit again. I have no motivation, like even as I type this I am willing myself to type the next word. Everything seems so exhausting, you know...that sounds completely melodramatical but it does seem lately that even simple tasks take a maximum amount of energy. I want to crawl inside a warm loaf of bread and live there, just napping, waking up to eat warm yummy bread guts and then passing out again...this is a dream friends, a dream that I hope in this new Obama era we can realize...i'm kidding...kind of..
Speaking of Obama, let me just say this... To be alive now, to be lucky enough to be in this city on Election Night is a moment I will never forget. It was a moment bigger than myself, one of those "holy shit, we are all connected and I can actually feel it" moments. I was at a bougie Election party (bunting and caviar oh my!) and we literally ran downstairs and danced in the streets. And it was so warm in Chicago that windows were open and up and down my block you could hear people screaming....It was amazing.
Work has been a bit of the hard times lately, as I can imagine everyones works have been. We have had layoffs and everday when I'm walking in I can feel my stomach tighten and the thoughts of being unemployed last year at this time and not knowing if I can do it again, the endless temping and trucking around in the dead of winter to answer questions about why being an adminstrative assistant is my dream job..I'm lucky I work with folks who make me laugh and point out that our section is so recockulously busy right now that there is no time to really sweat the bigger picture, and that we are all in the same boat.
I end with this tid bit - this snapshot, if you will (and I know you will), of my life. My man friend and I went to get winter coats last night...yeah, that's right we stimulated the economy (which p.s. please do, please buy things, because if not we might fall into a deflationary perioid and that shit could last for years and be like super duper bad times, so stop today and buy a little something, even a cup of coffee...) My awesome work friend had gotten a hot shit long down coat at Kohls and so we went there. Part One: Don't wear a coat when you are shopping for coats - don't be a dumbass like me and have to juggle a purse and your original coat while trying on new coats, it's a pain in the ass. Part Two: I thought Kohl's was like KMart or dare I say it, WalMart...if you also think this, you are wrong, wrong my friends. Kohl's is actually like Macy's prices, which must be why they have sales all the time because LISTEN I am not paying $70 for a sweater, I may stimulate the economy but not to that extent. Part Three: New coats are The Awesome. I got a knee length down jacket and that shit is like a comfy sleeping bag strapped to my back it has elevated my train naps to a new level of coziness. The man friend got a hot shit coat that has a fleece attached and now we are all set to survive another Chicago winter...
Things that are Yay!:
My Mom - She sent me not one but two great books, which I read cover to cover in 2.5 seconds. The first "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" (cutesy name but awesome book) by Mary Ann Shaffer is just great. It tells the story of a literary society on the Island of Guernsey (between England and France) that was started during the German Occupation during WWII. It has funny moments and sad moments and characters that you wish existed in real life and lived next door. She also sent me "Truth and Beauty" by Ann Patchett which is a memoir about her friendship with the poet/writer Lucy Grealy. It's not a story about Ann Patchett's life or Lucy Grealy's life but about the moments of their lives they shared and the complicated friendship they had. It was gorgeous.
The Man Friend - Just always a super yay! I'm so glad it's winter and I have someone to be cozy with..barfy but true.
Thanksgiving!!- Best. Holiday. Ever. We have already met and talked turkey and this year the thanksgiving festivities are going to be both tasty and wonderful.
Things that are Boo
Being Chilly all the time - It's that time of year again when my hands are never quite warm enough...boo...
