Well, the countdown is definitely on and it's so hard to believe that in a short while I won't be around the familiar. Should be scary but I am way past that point - but I am not in the overly excited phase yet either. Trust me, you'll know when I get there.
But while I am here, I am trying to kill time by doing everything in Chicago that is strictly a must-do or must-see while enjoying the company of my friends. I am also trying to catch up on movies and restaurants since there are so many things to do in the city and not enough time. So far, my friends have introduced me to two new restaurants in the last two weeks: a great dinner place with a very innovative menu called Deeleece and a wonderful brunch place in the south loop with a Spanish flair to it. Granted, I think that the company helped to make the places that much better but I still loved the food and hoped to head back there soon.
This weekend, it was all about the new experiences. Friday night was WhirlyBall with my friends for a birthday celebration which seems like something teenagers would do, but really, probably gets better when you are a little sloppy and drunk. I did not play WhirlyBall since I was dressed to bar hop and bumper cars and I have a bad history (i'm the person who gets stuck in the corner for the entire time!) but it was great to see everyone again, since I have not seen some of these kids since New Year's. Took some great video, got to catch up with my friends, and then we header over to the birthday boy's place for some brews and more hanging out. We were trying to decided where to go from there to keep the party rolling, but I was happy to keep it low key.
Saturday, I slept in and woke up to a friend of mine asking me if I still wanted to head down to Printer's Row book fair - an annual event where lots of bookstores and printing presses show up and you can see almost every book imaginable. Since I had never been, I was game for anything, so made plans and met up with my friend. It was great to be outside as it was a perfect day and I had to stop myself from salivating at points. Thankfully, I restrained myself because I am trying to cut down the clutter at this point and did not stop at the bank to get more cash (which after my night out, meant somewhat limited cash in the wallet). I bought one book that caught my interest and was by an author I know but I wanted to pick up some first edition Andrew Lang fairytale books I saw because I do want to collect all 12 and would love to have the originals. Maybe when I move........
But as I said, it was good to be outside, and my friend and I just walked around, looking at the stalls and talking and just having a good time. Then we decided to retreat to a bar to sit and have a drink, and we just kept talking and drinking. I think after a while, we both realized it was time to get moving since we both had doggies to take out before getting other things done that day. But at least I made some more plans for this week to see a movie and also stopped at a neighbour's to make plans to see him and his significant other this week as well for dinner or brunch on the weekend. Guess I am realizing the value of reconnecting with the people I love. Wow, less than two months........seems crazy when I think of it sometimes but I am getting a little giddy.
