Taking the Edge Off @ Chilis in Terminal A

Taking the Edge Off @ Chilis in Terminal A
Originally uploaded by killy

Here is the first of a long set of images to come from Chicago. Nothing outstanding, i didnt' take the portraits that i had planned and was too bogged down with the kids, family, etc ... to do much of anything.

Going on vacation, If you can call it that, with the kids was harder than I imagined it would be. There was never a time for reflection, for pondering the grandeur of chicago, much less time to finish reading a museum placard. It was seven days of excruciating frustration; seven days of chasing after adolfo; seven days of our normal insane crazy lives spent sleeping it off on an inflatable mattress.

Of course, it was all offset by the selflessness of angela and raul's graciousness. They hosted us better than we could have imagined. There was a Dunkin Donuts two blocks from the house which we enjoyed every day for seven days. Some days we had donuts and coffee; some days it was breakfast sandwiches; other days we had just coffee and made breakfast at raul and angela's.

All in all, I have to admit that I enjoyed being there. For such a long time I hated chicago for what it represented in my relationship between carol and i; for the memories that it held for her, etc...

I tried desperately to not hate it this time around. I tried to imagine living there, but I don't think I could do it.

Chicago has the worst grass - it grows in fine clumps not in a smooth, thick carpet. Chicagoans also do not understand how traffic works or, rather, how to drive when there is congestion. Also, in a related note, they do not seem to grasp the concept of the blind spot - either that or they simply think blind spot is where they are 'supposed' to be when driving in congested traffic. Chicagoans, and Illinois-ans in the surrounding areas, also do not understand how to build a road - they do it in the middle of the day and stop heavy day-time traffic in order to do so. That would seem to suggest to me that they just don't plan these things so well.

The first night was rainy. The lightning was simply incredible, but there was hardly any thunder, which i found odd. Then, the power went out. Luckily, paola needed food so Raul and I were forced to venture onto the wet streets to the nearest grocery store, the first of which was closed due to having to 'reboot' after the power outage. The blocks were dark and, for me, it made the drive towards OSCO vertigous. Yes, I just made up a word, or maybe not...