Today I spent some time just thinking about the first couple years I lived in Chicago.  It was a great time.  I almost wish that I could relive it, just to appreciate it more.  [And, of course, it would be nice to do a few things differently.]

Some of the things I miss:

Me: Okay I made a character.  What do I do?
Tim: Just wait there, I will find you.
Me: These two guys came up to me and are talking to me.  How do I talk to them?
Tim: Hang on… almost there…
Me: Now they are dancing.  I am so confused.

Of course, I do not miss:

But you get the gist.  This isn’t to say that I am unhappy where I am now, far from it, but every once in a while I get injected with some sort of nostalgia virus and miss certain things.  It is a little like those times when you remember an old TV show from your childhood and get the urge re-watch it.  I would recommend getting it on Netflix though, as you will most certainly regret buying it.  Buying Dinosaurs might sound like a good idea now, but after the second or third “Not the Mama!” you will probably just shut it off.

I like to tease Mr. W that Higgs boson is real and the magical answer for everything because this bothers him.  For example, when we finally discover Higgs boson, we will be able to teleport!  Higgs boson will end world hunger!  And now, Higgs boson will make it possible for me to relive past experiences at my leisure!

Just wait, it’ll be a thing.

So here are some pictures of the area–mostly of Wicker Park itself, but a couple of the general area in which I now live.

[Yeah, I don't quite know what that broom is all about. Should have read up on the statue...]

This weekend was pretty great.  Paige had two guys from her hometown come to visit and the 4 of us spent a lot of time together.  They were funny and really laid back, and immediately I felt at ease with them–which is rare for me  (especially seeing as one of the guys was all over me the whole time).

Friday we tried to check out Looptopia.  There’s a section of downtown called "The Loop" (because train lines loop around) and Friday night they had this all night live music and entertainment night from dusk ’til dawn.  We showed up around 11p to find out that they were out of wrist bands.  Normally I wouldn’t care about a little plastic wrist band, but to get into anything after midnight you needed one of them.  Suffice it to say that we didn’t see much.

Instead we all went back to my place for pizza, zombie movies, and couch cuddling.  And who doesn’t love that??

So it was an exciting morning.  I got on the train at 7:45 – expecting to be at the office by 8:15. At 10:30, I had finally made it in.

A train broke down near my destination, preventing my train and several others from moving forward. We had already been stuck in the tunnel for a little over an hour (frustrating, but tolerable since I was playing tetris on my cell phone) when suddenly the power went out, or, more importantly, the air conditioning. And please keep in mind that this was a packed rush hour train.

I jumped at the chance to get out of the train because how often does this happen? Like, never! Other than all the dirt and rust it was kinda fun. Definitely a respite from the normal daily routine. I’m horrible with distances, so let’s just say we walked for a little while and then came to the next train stuck on the tracks. That operator told us all to turn back and that we’d get in trouble for being out there. Some of the riders in front of me persisted that they were leaving whether she helped or not, so she decided to be helpful and began evacuating her own train.

Yesterday and today have made me very happy, also making me realize just how unhappy I’ve been lately. Josh and Cynthia were in town Monday/Tuesday. I took Tuesday off work and we spent the day walking around downtown. That night we went to a bar and met up with some other people I hadn’t seen in a long time. For a couple hours, it was just like old times.

I came home to a voice mail from Marty of all people, and I called him back this morning and chatted for 15 minutes. It was so good to talk to him. We’ve decided we’re going out for drinks sometime. He ended the phone call by laughing and saying, "You have a damn good day, T-Bird!" Yay! I’ve missed that.

Pictures of happiness:

I love this picture.  It looks like it was taken seconds before they engaged in a full-blown fist fight.  Probably due to jealousy over the matching hats.

I keep getting hit from all sides about moving to California. I’ll admit that I’m considering it. (I’m sure the freakin’ cold temperatures aren’t helping me want to stay here.) The fact of the matter is my two best friends in Chicago both have careers that will eventually lead them out to the L.A. area. The thing keeping me here in Chicago is my job. But this moving business wouldn’t happen until the fall, so for now I’m going to wait and see how things go. Maybe I’ll get a better job. Maybe I’ll get fired. Maybe I’ll lose all my limbs in a freak accident and go on disability. Yep–wait and see.