Location: Chicago. Destination: Dreamland

I decided that blogging might be an efficient way to keep people updated since I am far from home and only sporadically reachable by phone. my cell phone has decided that it hates cities, and refuses to keep its signal. Sorry for losing you, Jan. and dad. and Katy. etc. So, if you've called and I haven't called back, that is probably why.

Soooo, the update on life in Chicago:
in brief ...

1. work is fine. anyone who is interesting in what i do: www.plantsofconcern.org. work is interesting, challenging, but it will get easier, i think. The people i work with are very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. i spent a day out on the prairie already, and i'm learning that 'prairie' means 'flat, flat, too sunny, and really windy.' i am already learning some valuable lessons about interacting with volunteers, planning, and ecology. i accompanied my boss out into the field today to confirm the 3rd sighting of Trillium erectum in northern Illinois - very exciting for all involved (i didn't tell my boss that that's one of the more common (for a trillium!) species in NYS.

2. living situation is a-okay. i see my roommate rarely, as i am usually in bed by the time he gets home, and i am long gone to work by the time he gets up. he is cool. though, from what i've seen. my apartment is very nice, with wood floors and lots of space for 2 people. it's weird to have a tv - it keeps stealing my time!!


this is the ol' bedroom in the morning light. nothing on the walls yet. sheer laziness, i suppose.

3. the neighborhood i live in is fun. mostly because it's so different from what i'm used to. i live in an apartment building on a tree-lined street, 1 block from Lake Michigan (Loyola Park), 1/2 a block from 2 different coffee houses, 1/2 a block from the elevated train, and a few blocks from the real train. Also, 2 blocks from a big Mexican neighborhood. Apparently Mexican men like white girls! maybe all girls ... but they sure are vocal in their appreciation. There is a great produce store a block away, where i bought apricots for 99 cents a pound - and they're good, too! $1 for 20 limes! man, this stuff is crazy.

i have yet to really get to know the area. Danielle and i hung out downtown for a day (at the aquarium, then on the Miracle Mile, checking out the shops and eating Deep Dish pizza).

and i've spent a couple of evenings checking out my neighborhood (Roger's Park), and i explored Evanston, the next town up, this afternoon. I'm still adjusting to living like an adult, what with all the fending for myself. Tomorrow morning I check out the mass transit commute - otherwise i have to drive 30 miles a day when gas costs $3.80 a gallon. That's right, kids. Chicago tops the nation in gas prices. aren't we lucky!

In any case, tomorrow I'm going back to Evanston to check out ... the cell phone store! to see if they can help me with what seems to be a chronically ill phone. good-bye, paycheck. i hate depending on a cell phone! if this helps, everyone can expect a phone call over the weekend.

with love and snuggles from the (currently, very) windy city