Downtown, Not So Much

Last night I went downtown, a place I haven't ventured to for what seems like several peaceful years but has actually only been several peaceful weeks....I went to help out my old job (because I'm a good samaritan...... and because they will pay me...) I forgot the hub bub of downtown. Just the sheer velocity of noise bouncing off of buildings that are spitting out wads of salty, scurrying people. I mean, I've been biking to work lately and yesterday I even walked (a 1.4 mile walk - ah how I love google.com/pedometer !) A half hour of quiet contemplation on the way to a rehabbed factory building is far different from the hour commute on the red line...Regardless, what I'm trying to say is now that I don't have to be there so much I have become a puss about downtown Chicago. I felt like I was visiting from Nowheresville, USA last night as I got pushed across the sidewalks and streets ans shuddered in time to the jackhammers. In the month that I've been away seemingly every block of downtown is getting some sort of work done to it.... It was overwhelming.

But not as overwhelming as walking back into my old building and going into my old office.. This is a place that I went to almost every day for five years..such a long time that it became one of those places (like my childhood home or my first Chicago apartment) that you don't even notice any details about it anymore. It's rote, physical and sense memory. Walking down the hall to my old office was like walking in a dream.
I worked on stuff for a couple of hours, trying to resist the urge to run away screaming "This is not my life anymore"... Office buildings after dark are lonely, creepy places. The quiet of no phones ringing or co-workers making small talk is eerie and intensified the weirdness of it all.

This disconnect, this realization that I am not a downtown, career gal anymore was strange and humbling and took me back a bit. I mean, working downtown is draining and my old job was not the best but, I also feel like I've lost the badge of honor that working in downtown Chicago is. I have no El stories to tell lately. I kind of miss the homeless guy on Monroe who says "God bless you! I love you" to me (and everyone else) when I used to pass him...Going to "old work" last night was like seeing an ex-boyfriend, bittersweet..

Things that are YAY!
1. Three day weekends - Hoorah! This weekend is packed with Best Friends visiting and good friends marrying and hopefully some napping...hopefully..YAY for long weekend!
2. Undeclared - The boy I heart and I just finished the DVD collection of this series the other night...It is soooo good and clever and I loved it when it was on tv but it was even better in retrospect. YAY!
3. "I Was Born A Unicorn" by The Unicorns - I've loved this song for awhile but just heard the other day and realized that I LOVE IT, like Big Grin on My Face while walking LOVE IT!

Things that are Boo:
1. Courtney Love Accusing Steve Coogan- Which is POOOP! Steve Coogan is brilliance see: Alan Partridge OR Tristam Shandy...
2. Hitting reply on an e-mail and sending it to the wrong person...at work...