Good-bye, ye olde city of wind

Or maybe I should say "See you later," because I, no doubt, will be back. Hopefully more often than reality and energy levels usually allow one to return to their former city for visits.

I'm moving back to Michigan. I officially will be shacked up with Dan, the Bear, the cats and the fish in two short weeks, which still somehow don't seem short enough. This will be the third time I've moved to another state and it is my last. Thank god.

It's stressful enough moving across town but throw another state into the mix and it's a whole new lot of expenses and stresses. UHaul, cat sedatives and more. Oh, and I should mention that I've been driving a company car for the last 3 1/2 years. So, on top of cancelling and changing appointments and services, taking the cats to the vet, renting a UHaul, buying and gathering boxes, orchestrating schedules and generally planning my attack -- I've thrown buying a car and determining which insurance company to use on top of everything. (Especially because you can't buy a car without proof of insurance and you can't get insurance without a Michigan license and you can't get a license without....)

And, just to keep me on my toes, I dropped my phone yesterday and had to get a new one. Although I spent more than an hour at Verizon last night, I walked away with a brand new phone -- free of charge. The phone gods were smiling down upon me (um... after I dropped the phone, apparently?) and "new Verizon guy" asked his boss if he could wave my $50 deductible. So, that sure was nice.

But despite all of the stresses I am certainly experiencing, I'm remaining quite calm, if I do say so myself. My apartment's a mess, but that's to be expected, I think. I found a great car at a dealership in Michigan -- it's exactly like my company car, so I already know I like it. Dan's going to test drive it for me tomorrow, though, and I should be able to pick my little red Pontiac up on Monday.

The cats are taking their drug-induced voyage to Michigan on Saturday. By then Claire's purple Beta fish, Tiara, should be safely perched on a new white shelf so the fatties can't get to her. Although, Tiara has been trying to commit suicide anyway, so maybe we would be doing her a favor by letting the cats have at her. I guess we'll have to see what Claire thinks about that...

My Chicago nostalgia already has begun. I've got my eyes on a few restaurants before I go. Thankfully, I hit up The Breakfast Club with Nicolle a couple of weeks ago, so that's off my list. I still need a grilled cheese from Cleo's, Panang curry from Duck Walk, all-you-can-eat sushi with my lady friends, Local Option guacamole and chips, and a few cheap whiskeys at Shoe's Pub. That's all I can think of for now. And, again, I'll be back and can eat this stuff anytime, right?

In the meantime, I'm taking many deep breaths and move forward, with my hands raw from constructing boxes and the circles under my eyes darkening each day. As temperatures have dipped in recent weeks to near zero with below zero wind chills, I've been driving to work. Most days getting lucky enough to get a "good" meter, which costs the same as the train. Yesterday, I decided to take the train. After all, it was in the upper 20s -- which is practically like summer during a long Chicago winter, and I have $50 on my train card to try to burn in the next two weeks. I decided I wouldn't even read on the train. I would get one of my last tea lattes at Argo Tea and look out the window as I took the trip to work, admiring the scene of the downtown hustle.

A quick stop at my chiropractor's to drop off a purchased scarf and a phone call to try to reschedule a doctor's appointment due the move stalled my boarding the train until after 8:30 a.m. -- always a deadly battle to squeeze on anytime after 8. I crossed the street toward the station just as a train was pulling away. Once on the platform, clutching my mate latte with my hood up to help block the chilly breeze, my usual 2-minute wait for the next train turned into 15. So, I pulled out My Antonia and started reading.

It's tough to turn pages with gloved hands, not to mention when one is holding a cup. So, I decided to de-glove because, after all, a train must surely be just around the corner, right? It was this thinking that allowed my hands to freeze for the next 20 minutes as I waited, unable to squeeze onto the one train that did stop.
Eventually I made it onto a train after waiting about 35 minutes. It was too packed to see out the windows so, with my hands red and stiff, I attempted to continue reading, holding the tea and steadying myself as best I could.

Everyone was grumpy and stinky, their morning breath and winter rush sweat invading my nostrils despite my best efforts. Forget taking the train. I'm back to my car. I can get reimbursed for any unused money on my card anyway. Screw this. And Say Yes! to Michigan.