![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Feb. 21st, 2009 11:17 pmIt's cold here. Again. On Thursday morning the wind chill was -4, the car was caked in ice, and I made the mistake of wearing pretty shoes to work. I hadn't gotten more than an hour of sleep at a time the night before and I was feeling entirely miserable, not even knowing the worst of the day was still ahead. The traffic on Lake Shore Drive was abysmal; everyone who can afford to wants to drive to work in that weather. I was going to be five or ten minutes late to work, which is embarrassing, and costs an extra eight dollars in parking fees.
Still, the air was clear and the sky was blue. I was just south of Belmont when I looked over and saw the surf; the wind was blowing in, and the waves crashed on the beach just like we were in a tropical paradise. The skyscrapers on the other side of the road sparkled. Looking out toward the horizon, plumes of surf cut between blue water and blue sky. There are rolling hills on that stretch of lakefront park, statues and monuments every few blocks, and a clean, civilized feeling to the buildings. Suddenly, traffic picked up a little and we began driving at 25 or 30 miles per hour. I wished that we would slow back down so I could enjoy the scenery a little longer.
Sometimes I will hear people in the best kind of marriages confess that after years, or decades, their partner can walk into a room or look into their eyes and still take their breath away. I'm a cynic and I've always believed that they're exaggerating, that no feeling that strong can last forever. But after eight years, I am still totally, breathlessly in love with Chicago. It awes me. I love its people, its languages, its trains, its parks, its bizarre political system, and its scenery. I love looking at the U of C. I love the funky little train stop and the hipster dives in our old neighborhood. I love taquerias. I love the K-8 grade schools, their LSCs, and their proud principals. I love the Loop. I love Austin. I love the crazy jelly bean in the park and the Garfield Park conservatory. I love sushi places that deliver. I love the libraries. All that, and an inland sea that's just six blocks from my house. I'm just really fond of this place.
That means I should totally be able to power through until April when it finally gets warm. Right? Right? I hope so.
( Continued... Bonzo updates. I know why all you fambly-types are here. )
Still, the air was clear and the sky was blue. I was just south of Belmont when I looked over and saw the surf; the wind was blowing in, and the waves crashed on the beach just like we were in a tropical paradise. The skyscrapers on the other side of the road sparkled. Looking out toward the horizon, plumes of surf cut between blue water and blue sky. There are rolling hills on that stretch of lakefront park, statues and monuments every few blocks, and a clean, civilized feeling to the buildings. Suddenly, traffic picked up a little and we began driving at 25 or 30 miles per hour. I wished that we would slow back down so I could enjoy the scenery a little longer.
Sometimes I will hear people in the best kind of marriages confess that after years, or decades, their partner can walk into a room or look into their eyes and still take their breath away. I'm a cynic and I've always believed that they're exaggerating, that no feeling that strong can last forever. But after eight years, I am still totally, breathlessly in love with Chicago. It awes me. I love its people, its languages, its trains, its parks, its bizarre political system, and its scenery. I love looking at the U of C. I love the funky little train stop and the hipster dives in our old neighborhood. I love taquerias. I love the K-8 grade schools, their LSCs, and their proud principals. I love the Loop. I love Austin. I love the crazy jelly bean in the park and the Garfield Park conservatory. I love sushi places that deliver. I love the libraries. All that, and an inland sea that's just six blocks from my house. I'm just really fond of this place.
That means I should totally be able to power through until April when it finally gets warm. Right? Right? I hope so.
( Continued... Bonzo updates. I know why all you fambly-types are here. )
