Glad I don't have to shovel...

So I have to say, the best thing about being in Chicago so far has been having the opportunity to hang out with this guy:

Um, yeah, don't ask... it's a really long story... (suffice it to say, my head was buried in my arms on the table because I was laughing so hard... wish I could explain, but really, you had to be there... :))

I am also excited by the weather forecast today, which is calling for a 90 percent chance of snow. I think we're supposed to get three or four inches overnight... and then maybe more tomorrow. (And now I'm wishing I had a decent pair of winter boots... I'll have to put that on my Christmas list...)

I'm getting more used to my tiny little apartment, although we may not be here much longer -- we really didn't consider the distractions that might ensue when one person is trying to work from home, and "home" is a 600-square-foot box. I can't watch TV, run the dishwasher or do laundry for much of the day (too distracting/loud for Rick to make calls, etc.), and I have to time my microwave usage and dish washing in the sink for whenever Rick happens to NOT be on the phone (he seems to be on the phone a lot...). So we're considering some other options (read: more square footage) for January... we'll see what happens...

I've been making use of the fitness center in the building, which is actually quite nice. But I wish I could figure out when the "slow" time is... Every time I go down there, it seems to get busy. And I've never been one to enjoy working out with an audience. But I suppose I should expect that -- in a building with 52 floors and only about eight treadmills, I should be happy to find an empty one at ANY time...

And I am quite happy to report that I think I've already lost my "work" weight -- the few extra pounds that crept up on me over the year and a half that I was sitting in a chair for eight hours a day. I was feeling extremely frustrated with that -- even when I started taking a pedometer to work with me and forcing myself to get up every hour (sometimes even pacing back and forth in my office, just to get in SOME kind of activity), I couldn't seem to drop anything. It may have had something to do with the fact that I tend to eat mindlessly when I get really stressed out... and for a few months there, I was REALLY stressed out. (But now, for some reason, when Rick is traveling, I forget to eat... weird... :))

But speaking of eating, I think we may be heading out into the cold to seek food soon... we'd better get out there before the snow slows us down... :)