Images

I've had two recurring images running through my mind for the past several days. I think they were from a dream(s) but since I hardly remember most of them, who knows...

I'm standing on a ledge overlooking the ocean. If I turn slightly I can see the expanse of a city in the far distance. I stare off into the horizon with the wind blowing directly against me. Strong enough to ruffle my hair and clothes, but not enough to move me.

The other is of a girl. Tall, slender with long flowing hair. She is wearing a blouse with a long skirt. There is faint zephyr, her hair and skirt caught in the wind. But I can't picture who she is. I've been trying to identify her but all the girls I've been thinking about just don't quite fit the picture.

I'm pretty sure I know what the first image means, the second one I'll just have to wait and see.

Story of my Life

This morning I was sitting on the bus when an attractive Asian girl boarded. At this time of the day the bus was fairly occupied with at least one person in every sitting area. I was sitting in the middle of the bus on the left side against the window near the back doors. And this really happened. I looked up, met her gaze and smiled. It wasn't one of those cheesy grins or wide smiles that people give to one another when they are extremely smug. It was just a simple smile. And she sat down next to me, bypassing half the bus to do so. Now, I have a horrible track record with girls, if you can even say that. It's actually pretty much nonexistent. But, using my vast intelligence I figured saying hi would fit the acceptable parameters of human interaction. Unfortunately the Asian girl had a friend on the bus who was sitting across from me. Before I could say anything they started a conversation and the girl moved over to sit with her friend. Sigh... story of my life.

As a side note (in no way is it an attempt to distract from my pitiful interactions with the opposite sex) today on the subway I saw an Indian (curry not bows and arrows) girl who vaguely resembled Hermione and a white guy with red hair who looked exactly like Ron Weasly. And they were talking about Harry Potter in first person, as if they were actually the characters. Mind freaking explosion.

A cruise down history

One of the best activities to do in Chicago is take an architectural boat tour. My friend extended her trip an extra day so I corrected my first failed attempt at finding this boat tour. The tour meets at Navy Pier, which by the way is quite enjoyable. I rode a Ferris wheel for the first time and far exceeded my daily suggested caloric intake. But come on, there were dippin' dots and vodka snow cones.

The boat tour was $30 for the one hour river tour. Starting on Lake Michigan, the boat went up all three channels of the Michigan river. And we had a docent who was quite knowledgeable about every building in Chicago. She could tell you when the building was made, the architect, the particular style and the reason for construction. She also pointed out many trivial facts about the use of buildings in movies.

The reason I say architectural boat tours are one of the best activities to do in Chicago is threefold. One, it is a relaxing and scenic exploration of the city. Two, there was a lot of factual information told with many anecdotes and was presented in a manner that was both fun and witty. And I happen to enjoy learning. And three, the boat had a bar. There's nothing as relaxing as sipping a scotch while floating down a river. Particularly on a nice day.

Even though I've only lived in Chicago for about a month, I really do like it more than Seattle. There's so much more to do and the skyline is awesome. There's just one thing that irks me... the seafood isn't as good as Seattle. But hey, even that can't beat freshly caught Alaskan salmon. And I got a ton of that here.